For decades in Turin Fiat meant “Corso Marconi”, then the decision to return to its origins with the move to Lingotto after the renovation of the former factory, including the office building, entrusted to the architect Renzo Piano. Today about 300 people are still working in via Nizza, from financial services to industrial relations, while other sectors, such as external relations and the press office, have already moved to Mirafiori. A move that will start slowly in August and, within three months, should lead to an emptying of the building with the move to the Via Plava complex.
Mirafiori will become one of FCA’s pivots not only in Europe. The move decided a few days ago will strengthen all activities in what “is today the largest Fiat Chrysler group headquarters worldwide” with more than 20,000 employees in all sectors.
The recovery of the spaces of the “small factory”, in addition to the production ones, began by the will of Sergio Marchionne who, since his arrival in Turin, has focused on the redevelopment of the areas. In addition to the Style Center, the Abarth Workshop and the FCA Service center of “vital importance for the group” found space on the site, the company has always stressed, “because the administrative, accounting and financial activities are concentrated at European level” . The transfer has logistical reasons and leads, according to FCA, “to a compactness of all departments, thus improving operations to reach new challenges”. Mirafiori becomes a multifunctional center, where the production of the electric 500 started in July, carrying other investments such as the “Vehicle to greed” which will make Mirafiori a real virtual power plant. Spaces where Fca Heritage is also located: the museum with the historic cars of the various brands of the group.
Via Nizza 250 what will happen to it? It will remain within the perimeter of FCA. It will not be sold for now. And the historic board room could become the center of an exhibition on the history of Fiat in Turin. For now, it is all about ideas. It was the group’s headquarters until six years ago, before the merger with Chrysler and the move to Amsterdam. In 115 years the address has changed several times, but has always remained within the city walls. The first provisional “house” was in the office of the engineer Marchesi, in Corso Re Umberto 11. The first real address in the Liberty building in Corso Dante, then from 1923 to 1939 the headquarters moved to the Lingotto and, over the years following until 1953, in Mirafiori. Then for 43 years in the building in Corso Marconi where Gianni Agnelli reigned for thirty years as president of Fiat. In ’97 the return to Lingotto, the seat of the founder, Senator Giovanni Agnelli.
After the transfer of the FCA headquarters in the Netherlands, Lingotto has maintained its centrality, even if the group president John Elkann then decided to transfer his office to the renovated building of the Agnelli Foundation. In parallel, some functions have been moved to the Central Bodies building and to Via Plava. Complex occupying an area of 2 million square meters. One of the two Turin sites, in addition to the Grugliasco factory in Corso Allamano.-
