François said: “At Fiat, we think that the Lingotto and the track are such a landmark that they deserve to become design markers.
“Their characteristics have inspired Fiat designers to trace the lines of the future Fiat models, from the incredible roof track to the ramp, a revolution in the 1920s, which is like a manifesto of our traditional lightness. Less material, more space: that’s our vision of interior design moving forward.
“The oval shape of La Pista 500 [the rooftop track] inspires several new interior product markers, while the façade, with the lightness of its windows, will also become a distinctive signature of the future models.
“I look forward to launching those Lingotto-inspired models a year from now.”
The Lingotto site is central to Fiat’s history, having opened in 1923 as the second-largest car factory in the world, behind only Ford’s River Rouge complex in Michigan, the US.
The five-floor building featured an upward-spiralled assembly line, with each level hosting a different stage of production, ending with a test drive on the rooftop.
Various Fiat group cars – including the 500 ‘Topolino’ and its post-war sucessor – were built at Lingotto until 1982, with the Lancia Delta ending its 49 years as a factory.
