Fiat and Opel have been dancing at arms length for years. The relationship looked like it could grow closer as a result of GM’s recent downsizing, but the Italian automaker didn’t end up acquiring the General’s European operations in the end. The two automakers have, however, announced a new arrangement that will have Fiat supplying Opel and its British counterpart Vauxhall with rebadged versions of its Doblo van.
Not even taking into account impending platform-sharing with Chrysler, Fiat already produces a number of vehicles with or for other automakers, including commercial vans with PSA Peugeot-Citroën and the compactSX4/Sedici with Suzuki.
The Opel vans will be produced at Fiat’s Tofas plant in Turkey, with several derivatives planned, including chassis cabs, cargo vans and passenger vehicles. They’ll be sold in Europe and overseas markets (but not in North America), replacing the Opel Combo that itself was based on a Fiat platform that underpins the Corsa.
