Automotive News - June 2, 2008 - (Page 36)

36 • JUNE 2, 2008 Can Bertone design a comeback? Italian company strives to prepare Alfa B.A.T. 11 for Pebble Beach in August Julian Rendell autonews@crain.com To book an expensive show stand for an exciting new concept car only to cancel at the 11th hour is a strange decision. But March was a strange time for Bertone, the Italian coachbuilder. After working for eight months on the striking Alfa Romeo B.A.T. 11, a remake of the B.A.T. (Berlinetta Aero- TURMOIL IN ITALY 37 Bertone fights to survive ➤ Tough times hit design houses ➤ 38 dinamica Tecnica) dream cars of the mid-1950s, the new concept didn’t appear at the Geneva auto show. Instead, it was uncloaked at a private party for car designers in downtown Geneva, far away from the main show floor’s glare. This was an undeservedly obscure unveiling for the handsome B.A.T. 11. What happened? The launch got mixed up in the desperate fight for Bertone’s very survival, a fight that only now is reaching a resolution. After six months of uncertainty, Stile Bertone, the design arm of the company and creator of the B.A.T. 11, is forging an independent future, while Bertone’s second business, Carrozzeria Bertone, a coach- Need Salespeople, Tech’s, Managers & Other Employees? The Auto Industry’s #1 Recruiting, Training & Marketing Company Salespeople~BDC~Detailer~Porter~Technician Body Tech~Service Advisor~Service Manager Parts Counter~Parts Manager~Sales Manager Finance Manager~Office Staff~GSM~GM Stile Bertone, the design arm of the company, is the creator of the B.A.T. 11. Bertone’s design director, David Wilkie, sees the B.A.T. 11 as proof of the company’s ability to produce dramatic and well proportioned new cars. building factory, still languishes in the Italian equivalent of bankruptcy. One could say that the B.A.T. 11 is a symbol of Bertone’s recovery and the company’s lone beacon of hope. David Wilkie, Bertone’s Scottishborn design director, sees the B.A.T. 11 as proof of the company’s ability to create dramatic and well proportioned new cars, which Asian carmakers are keen to buy, and to do so quickly. After owning the B.A.T. 9 for 28 years, he put his wife’s well being ahead of his automotive love and sold his Bertone original to pay for her medical treatment. “When Gary came here, he planted the idea for a new B.A.T.,” says Wilkie, “so we started in July 2007, and two months later, in September, we had our first sketches.” 800-421-4550 www.clickhereforadvice.com Brian C. Hall, President & CEO The energizer “We’d looked at redoing the B.A.T. a few times, but the time never seemed quite right,” says Wilkie. “But when Gary came along, that all changed.” American dentist Gary Kaberle’s fortune has partially funded the B.A.T. 11, and his life story is interwoven with the three-car B.A.T. series. Kaberle energized the project after going to Bertone in November 2006 with movies and photographs cataloging his early years in Michigan, where he bought a B.A.T. 9 at a usedcar lot and used it as a daily driver. Alfa credibility Alfa Romeo had to be involved, too, because the original concepts were based on the chassis of the 1900 saloon and featured Alfa grilles and details. The B.A.T. 11 needed Alfa badges, too, for credibility. The show car is based on the platform dimensions of the Maserati GT, a long-wheelbase version of the Alfa 8C, and the plan is to make the B.A.T. 11 into a full runner for the Pebble see BERTONE, Page 37 The final design of the B.A.T. 11 is the work of two Bertone designers: Valery Muller, who is responsible for the concept’s exterior, and Gwen Pennarun, who handled the interior and wheels. http://www.clickhereforadvice.com http://www.clickhereforadvice.com http://www.guidepointsystems.com http://www.guidepointsystems.com

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Automotive News - June 2, 2008 Gas prices fuel industry's new era Chrysler faces tricky dealer mergers Honda may crank out more Civics in N.A. Mercedes will move into Chrysler Pacifica studio Ford to offer hatchback version of Fiesta Prestige Automotive sells stores but keeps Black Enterprise top spot Dealership marketers take to text messaging Senate to hear personal pleas on roof crush rule Magazine: Chrysler, Fiat are talking Former Fla. dealer gets jail for bilking bank That guy Alfred had possibilities Ford will make next Mustang look smaller Pontiac subcompact may come to U.S. GM: Battery glitch cuts hybrid sales Porsche exec: CAFE 'will not change our nature' Japanese rivals race for lithium batteries Jatco boosts CVT capacity in Mexico for N.A. vehicles Mercury deserves a better chance Rising gas prices have changed the U.S. market Marketing and sales: Context and content Mexico's Nemak grows beyond North America Buyers didn't quit GM; GM quit on its buyers Brand perceptions change slowly Bloggers are journalists, too Nice HQ, Nissan, but where's Nobe? Chrysler's Chernoby: Growing up gearhead Picture this Mitsubishi hopes new gearbox widens Evo's appeal Openlane gets funds Obituaries Survey: Going green can get your auto ad noticed Inrix: Router can reduce traffic delays Mazda6 gets own platform for U.S. ... sort of Mazda6 set to take on mid-sized sedan heavyweights Troubled or not, the United States still beckons What's next? More transplant models headed this way Exports help as Mitsubishi sorts things out Irma Elder: 'This is one of the toughest times we have had' Fitzgerald: Dealers, consumers need alliance Can Bertone design a comeback? Family-owned business struggles for survival Some design houses fall on tough times Hughes: Not a subscriber? No problem American Axle lines up new non-U.S. business GM think tank works to boost service business Toyota offers gas card as tire incentive VW turns to common software to develop products Continental's Calif. office targets Asian carmakers ZF sees chassis, axle opportunities in N.A. Flex: A new Ford image ... or just over the top? Ford targeted Flex interior quiet, ride Ex-dealership managers say firings were over religion Dealers Genesis in Toledo: It's a long story Back woes sideline Nardelli GM: 19,000 take buyouts Panama to head Nissan Mexicana Wilhite jumps to Jumpstart Dauch sons move up, out Kozyra leaves Continental Ford to lay off salaried staff More small cars to arrive in 2009-10 Even on used market, big trucks go begging Auto advertisers adopt mpg mantra Industry to motorists: We're here to help Diesel prices hit suppliers' Mexico sites Can Camry catch F series? Leno's words of wisdom for automakers Nissan's carbon credits ease global warming guilt Automotive CEOs' pay pales next to peers' Year of the Small Car can't come too soon Foreign suppliers adding capacity in Southeast From cows to kimchi: Making Alabama sweet home for Koreans After light-truck push, cars are king again Mexican suppliers expect sales record in '08

Automotive News - June 2, 2008

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