Connexion L

Fiat

Nissan

At the beginning of the 1980s, Nissan needed a means of selling more cars in Europe than it was allowed to under the traditional "gentleman's agreement", a protectionist measure which had been intended to prevent Japanese manufacturers from flooding Europe with cheap, imported cars.

The sales quotas of this agreement did not apply to cars built within Europe, but at that time Nissan had no such manufacturing facility. The answer was to join forces with a European manufacturer to build one its popular models under licence. In 1981, Nissan entered into an alliance with Alfa-Romeo to build the awkwardly-named ARNA (Alfa-Romeo Nissan Automobile) at Alfa's Pomigliano D'Marco and Pratola Serra factories in Italy.

ARNA was effectively the body of the Nissan Cherry (Pulsar in Japan) mated to the mechanical components of the Alfasud. One observer wryly noted at the time that this offered the worst of both worlds, lacking both the reliability of the Japanese car and the Italian's style. Nevertheless, the car was launched in July 1983, known in various markets as the Cherry Europe, Pulsar Milano or Alfa Romeo Arna.

Within five years of the ARNA's launch, Alfa-Romeo was put up for sale by the Italian Government. Two chief bidders emerged: Fiat and Ford. In the end, Fiat won (for some, a foregone conclusion). Fiat now owned the majority of the Italian motor industry, and established a corporate strategy for future development: cars sold under the Fiat name would cover the popular end of the market; Lancias would be luxury models; Alfa Romeo would build sporting cars; and Ferrari, of course, would concentrate on supercars.

See Connexion D