rolls royce is owned by B M W , and bentley belonges to the volkswagon group , of which porsche owns a considerable chunk . i can understand these take overs greatly reduce R and D costs ect , and they can produce very differant cars from the same parts . but fiat as a world player , sorry i cant see it !!!! the italians can , and do produce some of the most beautiful and drivable cars in the world , but reliability and build quality have never been a strong point . this is what makes the germans and japs so popular .

Might be why they think it is a good match saint.
Opel are German produced & have a good reputation - although have a bit of a"boring" car image.
Saab also have a reputation for quality & reliability but also failed to attract customers up against Audi/BMW.
So could be a good match for all 3 if they manage to get the best out of all three into the cars they produce. Equally could be a disaster if the failings of the 3 makers comes to the fore...

whilst i agree with your reasoning bob , its fiat were talking about here , ive been thinking and i cant think of one good looking car they ve produced in the last two decades . on the other hand opel have made some good looking cars before they became G M . saab , some inovative cars in their time , and the first 900 turbos are now highly prized collectors cars . also before G M . i fail to see how eithers reputation or respect blossomed under the G M banner , as i fail to see how it would stand a better chance under the fiat banner . i hope your right and im wrong , i truly do , because im a great car fan and i watched the british motor industry go down the toilet , along with the great names associated with it .... i would hate to see a day when we have no choices left , and designers become a thing of the past !!!!!