Autobianchi: Automotive Industry --History And Other Informations ~ BMW Cars & Bikes

Autobianchi (Italian pronunciation: [autoˈbjaŋki]) was an Italian automobile manufacturer, created jointly by Bianchi, Pirelli and Fiat in 1955. Autobianchi produced only a handful of models during its lifetime, which were almost exclusively small cars, with the biggest being the short-lived Autobianchi A111, a small family car. Autobianchis were priced higher than Fiat models of similar size and the brand was used by Fiat to test new and innovative concepts which later found their way into mainstream Fiat vehicles; these concepts included fibreglass bodies and front-wheel drive.
The most famous Autobianchi models include the A112 released in 1969, a small hatchback very popular in Italy for racing, and which ceased production in 1986; as well as the Y10, which was the first car to use Fiat's new FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotised Engine). The Primula was the car with which Fiat introduced the particular front-wheel drive arrangement of engine, transmission and differential (final drive) that has become prevalent in its cars today. This car competed with the Innocenti-built Mini, which was the inspiration for the drivetrain layout.
Autobianchi was bought by the Fiat group and integrated into the operations of Lancia. The marque survived in Italy until the end of the Y10's production in 1995, but became extinct elsewhere when the model was rebranded as a Lancia in 1989.

Into the 1970s

Main articles: Autobianchi A111 and Autobianchi A112

Facing a crisis in the motorcycle market, Bianchi was forced to sell its share in Autobianchi and the company was finally fully integrated into Fiat SpA in 1968. 1969 marked many important developments for the marque. First of all, Bianchina production is finally stopped. Moreover, Autobianchi was positioned within the Fiat Group under the control of the newly-acquired luxury marque Lancia. And significantly, two new Autobianchi models were launched this year: the Autobianchi A111 and Autobianchi A112.Those names sound perhaps a bit uninspired compared to previous Autobianchis, and do not have much to do with any particular technical characteristic or size. They were basically internal Fiat development codes, used as model names in a fashion similar to Fiat-branded vehicles of that era.
The A111 was derived from Primula mechanicals, but much bigger and more spacious, marking the first (and only) entry of the brand into the small family car class. As usual, it was priced higher than similar Fiat models, notably the first front-wheel drive Fiat per se, the Fiat 128, and did not much find much favour with customers. After little more than 50,000 A111s were made, the plug was pulled as early as in 1972.

Autobianchi A112

The A112 was much more successful. A modern, front-wheel drive supermini it was in many ways similar to the Innocenti Mini, which gained substantial popularity in Italy, following on from the popularity of the original Mini throughout Europe. Similarly, the A112 saw strong demand and built a loyal following, reinforced by the introduction of Abarth sporting versions and Autobianchi's engagement in racing with modified versions of the model.

With Primula production ceasing in 1970 and the quick demise of the A111, Autobianchi became effectively a one-model brand. Consequently, the A112 was marketed as a Lancia from the mid-1970s in most markets, except for Italy and France, where it retained the Autobianchi branding until the end of production.

End of the road

The A112 continued for a remarkable 17 years, with frequent but rarely insubstantial changes. After over 1,250,000 of those small cars were built, they were finally replaced in 1986 by a new model, the Autobianchi Y10, based mechanically on the Fiat Panda. This car was branded as Lancia from the beginning for most export markets (except for France again, until 1989), thus becoming better known as the "Lancia Y10". It retained Autobianchi badging and branding in Italy alone. The Desio plant was finally closed in 1992 and with the Y10 being replaced by the Lancia Ypsilon (branded as Lancia in all markets including Italy), the Autobianchi brand disappeared altogether in 1996.

The rights to the brand are now held by the Registro Autobianchi, the official club of the marque in Italy.

Autobianchi
Last Autobianchi logo
Industry	Automotive
Fate	Merged into Lancia
Successor	Lancia
Founded	January 11, 1955
Defunct	1995
Headquarters	Turin, Italy
Key people	Automobiles
Parent	Fiat Group