New Itala 35 crossover is a revised GAC Trumpchi GS3
Historic Italian brand returns with revised GAC petrol crossover; will coexist with revived sports car maker Osca
Historic Italian luxury car brand Itala has been revived after 92 years, with its engineering overseen by ex-Ferrari technical director Roberto Fedeli.
This is part of an expansion by Italian company DR Automobiles, which has been rebadging Chinese cars for the past 20 years and is now a significant emerging force in western Europe.
Across its six current brands, DR last year sold some 34,000 cars across Italy and a few other nations, and it now plans to enter the larger markets of France and Germany.
Itala is planned to share showrooms with another revived brand, Osca, which was founded by the Maserati brothers for racing and existed from 1947 to 1967.
The first modern Itala, unveiled this week at the Turin motor show, is a 4.4m-long, petrol-engined crossover called the 35 – based on GAC‘s Trumpchi GS3. It will cost from around €35,000 (£30k).
Italian media reports that Fedeli has overseen refinement of the suspension; other Italian firms have redesigned the interior, notably upholstering it in red leather and Alcantara; and Italdesign tweaked the external appearance.
No plans for Osca have yet been announced, but Italian media reported late last year that a ‘proper sports car’ with a ‘Lotus-sourced 2.0-litre engine’ was planned – possibly referring to the Emira’s current Mercedes-AMG four-pot.
Under its ‘Historic Italian Brands’ plan, DR intends to open two new ‘production facilities’ at its plant in Macchia d’Isernia, where it assembles Chinese cars from knocked-down kits, later this year.
This €50 million (£43m) investment is expected to create some 500 local jobs.
DR plans to open 50 Itala-Osca dealerships, the first of which is in Itala’s original home city of Turin.
