Automotive News - June 2, 2008 - (Page 37)

JUNE 2, 2008 • 37 Family-owned business struggles for survival Julian Rendell autonews@crain.com Recent years haven’t been kind to Bertone, and the family-owned business has been struggling financially. There are two operating companies: Stile Bertone, the design house based near the mountains outside Turin; and the manufacturing arm, Carrozzeria Bertone, based in the Turin suburb of Grugliasco. Carrozzeria Bertone hasn’t built a car since it made the final Mini JCW GP in September 2006. In November 2007, all 1,300 workers were laid off. The breaking point for the manufacturing arm came when Alfa Romeo The breaking point for Carrozzeria Bertone came when Alfa Romeo decided to build the Brera, shown, instead of the Alfa GT convertible. decided to build the Brera. Until then, Bertone had pinned the factory’s future on a convertible version of the Alfa GT, a car Alfa decided it didn’t need. Meanwhile, Stile Bertone has continued to design cars and trucks, awaiting the outcome of attempts to sell off the business. A buyout bid in December 2007 collapsed, and another one in January was scuttled by the Italian courts. Feuding within the Bertone family hasn’t helped, either, but in April, family members agreed to a new structure that split Stile from Carrozzeria, to set the design business on a new, independent path. Under the arrangement, Nuccio Bertone’s widow, Lilly, retains 49.5 percent of the parent company, while a second family-owned holding company, under the oversight of Italian courts, controls the remaining 50.5 percent. New Managing Director Teresio Gaudio is driving a new strategy to cut costs and win design and engineering contracts. “We will now start to re-establish and market Bertone to the world’s carmakers as one of the premium design and engineering centers in the world,” says Gaudio. Stile Bertone is completing contracts with two Chinese automakers, and recently finished a truck for Tata of India and built the Saab 9-4X concept that was revealed at the Detroit auto show in January. Meanwhile, the future of Carrozzeria Bertone awaits an Italian court auction and the hope that a buyer will restart operations. Among the rumored seven bidders are Italdesign and Chinese automaker First Automobile Works. c BERTONE Will B.A.T. 11 shine in Pebble Beach? continued from Page 36 Beach Concours d’Elegance in August. Ultimately, the B.A.T. 11 will become Kaberle’s car. Wilkie says he thinks Bertone can get it done in time. There’s a lot of engineering work to do. The show car doesn’t have any doors, and the wheel fairings are so tight they’re designed to push clear of the bodywork when the steering is turned. All of these mechanisms need to be engineered. Sorting out such challenges is part of Wilkie’s plan to use the B.A.T. 11 as a showcase for how Bertone can make similar one-offs or limited-run specials for customers. The final design is the work of two of Bertone’s designers: Valery Muller, a German whose exterior design graces the concept; and Frenchman Gwen Pennarun, responsible for the interior and wheels. When it comes to backing up, why look anyplace else? Moving sculpture Design development was centered on a quarter-scale clay model. Details that changed from Muller’s sketches included the air vents, which were reduced in size, and the hood line, which was lowered and developed with two strong styling lines intersecting the understated grille. The full-sized car was milled from a block of resin. The finish is remarkably good and convincingly stands in for painted metal. To get to this stage, the clay had to be digitized and a math model created on Bertone’s computers. The data were fed into a huge milling machine, which took a week of constant running to shape the body, minus the curvy wings. Those had to be made separately. Hidden behind the wheel covers are Pennarun’s fascinating wheels, a modern interpretation of classic wire wheels. The alloy rim is cast with half the number of spokes needed; the rest are fabricated in carbon fiber and bolted to the rim. They look great, and Bertone is doing engineering studies to see if they are practical for a one-off. Practicality, of course, isn’t the main reason for building the B.A.T. 11. This is a beautiful moving sculpture. If Bertone can hit its Pebble Beach deadline, the B.A.T. 11 should brighten even that celebration of the world’s most beautiful cars — and that would be some achievement. c Sure, you could put the rear camera display someplace else, but why? The mirror is an intuitive, ergonomic location that lets you view the reflected scene and the display simultaneously. It’s also a cost-effective solution that simplifies cross-platform integration. And, the on-demand display comes packaged in an auto-dimming mirror with a host of other optional value-added features. The Gentex rear camera display one look shows it all. Gentex Corporation • 600 North Centennial, Zeeland, Michigan 49464 • 616-772-1800 • www.gentex.com http://www.gentex.com http://www.gentex.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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