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Car News from Italy

Emilia-Romagna holds the densest cluster of high-performance carmakers anywhere. Fiat's small cars are the volume half of the same industry.

8 articles · 8 brands

This page collects news about the Italian car industry: model launches, plants and ownership. The most distinctive part of it fits inside one region. Ferrari at Maranello, Lamborghini at Sant’Agata Bolognese, Maserati, Pagani and Dallara around Modena: Emilia-Romagna packs more high-performance carmakers into a short drive than anywhere else, together with the suppliers, coachbuilders and test tracks that keep them running. The volume half of the industry is Fiat’s, and it is a small-car business that the Panda and 500 have carried for decades. Italian styling counts as an export in its own right, through the design houses Pininfarina and Italdesign, both now under foreign owners in India’s Mahindra and Volkswagen Group. New names still appear at the small end: Automobili Mignatta was founded in Piedmont in 2024 and hand-builds around 30 cars a year.

Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati and Abarth belong to Stellantis, formed in 2021 when Fiat Chrysler merged with France’s PSA. Ferrari went the other way: separated in 2016 and listed on its own, which leaves it the largest European carmaker without a parent group. Lamborghini has been Audi’s since 1998. One thread ties the first two together, since the Agnelli family holding company Exor is the largest shareholder in Ferrari and in Stellantis at once. The rest of the tree is in Europe’s car brands.

Brands

Automobili Mignatta

Market Data

BYD Atto 2 breaks into Italy's top three for the first time

Italy

BYD Atto 2 breaks into Italy's top three for the first time

Italy's new-car market grew 10.6% in June, but the real mover was the BYD Atto 2 - the first BYD model to reach third place among every car sold in the country, driven almost entirely by its plug-in hybrid version.

Explainers

European car brands where the badge and the owner disagree

European car brands where the badge and the owner disagree

Twelve European badges whose nationality does not match their ownership: Cupra, Vauxhall, DS, Opel, Lancia, Alpine, Abarth, MG, Ebro, DR Automobiles, smart and Leapmotor. Some are Spanish or British names owned in Germany or the Netherlands, some are revived badges on Chinese hardware, and several are assembled in a third country again.

Europe's Car Brands: The Ownership Structure

Europe's Car Brands: The Ownership Structure

Most European badges trace back to about five mega-groups - Volkswagen, Stellantis, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Renault. But several beloved European brands are now owned abroad, in China, India and the UAE, and a few Chinese and joint-venture names now sell under European flags. Here is who owns what in 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns Ferrari?

Ferrari is a publicly listed company in its own right, spun out of Fiat Chrysler in 2016. The Agnelli family holding company Exor is its largest shareholder, and Piero Ferrari, son of the founder, holds 10%. It is the largest European carmaker that answers to no mega-group.

Which Italian car brands does Stellantis own?

Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati and Abarth. All five came in through Fiat Chrysler, which merged with France's PSA in 2021. Stellantis is registered in the Netherlands, so those badges are Italian by origin and Dutch by registration.

Is Lamborghini owned by Volkswagen?

Yes, through Audi, which bought the company in 1998 and still runs it. Lamborghini had changed hands repeatedly before that, including a spell under Chrysler in the late 1980s. Design and assembly remain at Sant'Agata Bolognese.

News about Italy

Ferrari sells out entire 2026 Luce production run

Ferrari sells out entire 2026 Luce production run

Ferrari has sold out its full 2026 production run of the Luce, about 500 cars, in under two months since the May reveal and before the first customer deliveries. China provided most of the demand; CEO Benedetto Vigna says the order book is now filled into 2027.

Automobili Mignatta's Screen-Free V8 Coupe

Automobili Mignatta's Screen-Free V8 Coupe

A tiny Italian coachbuilder in Piedmont hand-builds around 30 cars a year - a two-seat retro sports car with a naturally aspirated, Ford-sourced 5.0-liter V8 tuned to about 500 hp, a six-speed manual, and no touchscreens. The open Barchetta has been reaching customers since 2025 from $290,000; a fixed-roof Coupe was previewed at Goodwood in July 2026, with the first example due in 2027.

Lamborghini Urus SE Performante debuts with 812 hp

Lamborghini Urus SE Performante debuts with 812 hp

Lamborghini's new range-topping Urus makes 812 hp and 1,000 Nm from its plug-in hybrid V8, hitting 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and 312 km/h flat out. It is 32 kg lighter than the Urus SE, runs a new dual-chamber AURA air suspension, and still covers over 60 km on electric power alone. Pricing has not been announced.

Maserati updates the Grecale: stricter face, V6 Nettuno joins the range, prices from €83,200 ($89,900)

Maserati updates the Grecale: stricter face, V6 Nettuno joins the range, prices from €83,200 ($89,900)

Maserati facelifted the Grecale crossover alongside the GranTurismo and GranCabrio. The Giorgio-platform SUV grows 9 mm on a new bumper, gains the MCPURA shark-nose front, and adds a 390 hp Nettuno V6 to a range that spans a 48V mild-hybrid four-cylinder, the 530 hp Trofeo, and the 557 hp Folgore EV. Italian prices start at €83,200 ($89,900); a next-generation Grecale arrives in 2027.

Fiat Announces the Grizzly, a Two-Body C-Segment Crossover Family

Fiat Announces the Grizzly, a Two-Body C-Segment Crossover Family

Fiat has revealed the Grizzly: a conventional SUV and the coupe-styled Grizzly Fastback, both on the Stellantis Smart Car platform shared with the Citroën C3 Aircross. Combustion, hybrid, and electric versions are planned, with sales starting in H2 2026.

Lancia Gamma: New Flagship SUV Teased Ahead of Paris Debut

Lancia Gamma: New Flagship SUV Teased Ahead of Paris Debut

Lancia has published the first photos of the Gamma, its new flagship crossover on the Stellantis STLA Medium platform. Full reveal is scheduled for autumn, ahead of the Paris Motor Show.

Ferrari Luce: First Electric Ferrari - 4 Motors, 1,050 hp, Design by Jony Ive

Ferrari Luce: First Electric Ferrari - 4 Motors, 1,050 hp, Design by Jony Ive

Ferrari unveiled the Luce on 25 May 2026 in Rome - the brand's first EV, first 4-door, and first 5-seater. Platform 880V, 122 kWh battery, 700+ km WLTP, from €550,000.