Italian Car Brands: The Definitive 2025 Guide

Italy’s car brands include Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, Abarth, Dallara, Pagani, DR Automobiles, Mazzanti, Tazzari, and boutique houses such as Touring Superleggera and Zagato; historically important names include De Tomaso, Iso Rivolta, Autobianchi, Innocenti, Bizzarrini and more. These marques span mass-market city cars to hand-built hypercars, reflecting a national industry that blends design, racing pedigree, craftsmanship, and increasingly, electrification.

Major contemporary Italian car brands

The following marques are currently active, have Italian roots, and sell cars in meaningful volumes or hold global influence. Ownership today is often international, but design, engineering, or production remains tightly linked to Italy.

• Fiat (Stellantis) — Turin-founded mass-market maker behind the 500 and Panda; models are built in Italy and across Europe.
• Alfa Romeo (Stellantis) — Sporting brand known for Giulia and Stelvio; the Tonale is built in Italy, while newer compact models use European plants.
• Lancia (Stellantis) — Historic marque relaunched with the new Ypsilon (2024); design and brand DNA are Italian, with production for this model in Spain.
• Abarth (Stellantis) — Performance offshoot; the Abarth 500e is assembled in Turin, while the 600e shares platforms and production footprints with Stellantis small SUVs.
• Maserati (Stellantis) — Luxury and performance cars including GranTurismo/GranCabrio and Grecale; expanding its Folgore EV line, with key production in Modena and Turin.
• Ferrari (independent, Exor as largest shareholder) — Supercars and GTs built in Maranello, including the V12 and hybrid lineups.
• Lamborghini (Volkswagen Group/Audi) — Supercars and SUVs made in Sant’Agata Bolognese; lineup includes plug-in hybrid flagships.
• Dallara — Racing constructor and engineering powerhouse that builds the Dallara Stradale road car in Emilia-Romagna.
• DR Automobiles — Italian brand assembling and rebadging Chinese-sourced models (DR, EVO, Sportequipe, ICKX) in Molise for the European market.

Together, these brands cover Italy’s full spectrum: everyday urban mobility, luxury grand tourers, motorsport-derived exotics, and increasing electrification under global corporate umbrellas.

Boutique and specialist marques (currently active)

Italy also incubates small-volume manufacturers and coachbuilders who turn out hand-crafted specials, hypercars, and EVs. Production numbers are tiny, but their influence on design and performance culture is outsized.

• Pagani — Hypercar maker from Modena (Zonda, Huayra, Utopia), famed for artisanal carbon work and AMG-sourced V12s.
• Mazzanti Automobili — Builder of the Evantra supercar family, crafted near Pisa.
• Automobili Pininfarina — Luxury EV brand leveraging Italian design and assembly (Battista built in Cambiano) under Mahindra ownership; corporate HQ is in Munich.
• Touring Superleggera — Historic Milanese coachbuilder producing limited-run road cars like the Aero 3 and Sciàdipersia.
• Zagato — Milan design house behind collectible small-series specials and collaborations (e.g., IsoRivolta GTZ).
• Kimera Automobili — Boutique maker of the EVO37, a modern reinterpretation of a classic rally icon, built in Italy.
• Tazzari EV — Imola-based producer of lightweight electric microcars and quadricycles.
• Casalini — Italian microcar manufacturer (quadricycles) headquartered in Piacenza.
• Ares Modena — Coachbuilder creating bespoke, low-volume sports cars and reimagined exotics from its Modena facility.
• Puritalia Automobili — Naples-area boutique maker known for the hybrid Berlinetta.

These niche players sustain Italy’s tradition of coachbuilding and engineering experimentation, often blending modern composites, electrification, and bespoke craftsmanship.

Historic, dormant, or revived Italian brands

Many storied names shaped Italian automotive identity. Some are gone, others periodically revive as limited-series projects, and a few maintain activity mainly in motorsport or special builds.

• Autobianchi — Small-car innovator later absorbed into Lancia; ceased in the 1990s.
• Innocenti — Known for license-built Minis and city cars; ended car production in 1997.
• De Tomaso — Modena-born sports car brand (Pantera); revived projects have been announced in recent years, with production status evolving.
• Iso Rivolta — GT maker famed for the Grifo; recently reappeared in collaborations (e.g., GTZ by Zagato).
• Bizzarrini — 1960s racer/GT maker, revived for continuation cars and a new “Giotto” V12 program; operations today span the UK and Italy.
• Cisitalia — Postwar sports and racing cars; design landmark with the 202 GT.
• OSCA (Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili) — Maserati-brothers’ racing brand.
• Siata — Tuning house turned small-series sports car maker.
• Stanguellini — Modena-based racing and sports cars.
• Itala — Early 20th-century luxury and racing brand.
• Isotta Fraschini — Prewar luxury icon, revived in endurance racing (LMH) with talk of road-going derivatives.
• ASA — Maker of the “Ferrarina” (ASA 1000 GT).
• Moretti — Turin coachbuilder and specialist.
• Cizeta — Late-1980s/1990s supercar marque (V16T).
• OSI (Officine Stampaggi Industriali) — Coachbuilder with limited-production models in the 1960s.

These names underscore how Italy’s car culture cycles through booms of innovation, coachbuilding artistry, and periodic revivals that keep heritage alive for new audiences.

Ownership, production, and what “from Italy” means in 2025

Globalized supply chains blur borders. These points clarify how the major Italian marques fit into today’s industry structure.

• Stellantis owns Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Abarth, and Maserati; design and engineering leadership remains in Italy, though production spans Italy, Spain, Poland, and beyond.
• Lamborghini is part of Volkswagen Group (Audi), with cars built in Sant’Agata Bolognese and deep R&D roots in Italy.
• Ferrari is independent and builds exclusively in Maranello; Exor is the largest shareholder.
• Pagani is independent, sourcing V12 engines from Mercedes-AMG, with design and manufacturing in Italy.
• DR Automobiles is Italian-owned, assembling and adapting Chinese-sourced vehicles in Italy for European sale.
• Automobili Pininfarina is owned by India’s Mahindra; the Battista is assembled in Italy, while the company’s legal HQ is in Germany.

In practice, “from Italy” usually means brand origin, design leadership, and often final assembly or key manufacturing in Italy, even when ownership and components are international.

Summary

Italy’s car brands range from household names—Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Abarth, Maserati—to global icons Ferrari and Lamborghini, alongside specialist makers like Dallara, Pagani, Mazzanti, Tazzari, and design houses including Touring Superleggera and Zagato. Historic marques such as De Tomaso, Iso Rivolta, Bizzarrini, Autobianchi, and Innocenti round out a legacy that continually renews itself through revivals and coachbuilt specials. Despite global ownership and production networks, the Italian imprint on design, engineering, and craftsmanship remains unmistakable.

Which are Italian car brands?

Popular Italian car brands

• ferrari.
• maserati.
• lamborghini.
• pagani.
• lancia.
• alfa romeo.
• fiat.
• abarth.

Which Italian car is the best?

Best Italian Cars

• 2025 FIAT 500e. Compare Model.
• 2024 Lamborghini Revuelto. Compare Model.
• 2024 Maserati GranTurismo. Compare Model.
• 2024 Maserati MC20. Compare Model.
• 2024 Ferrari 296. Compare Model.
• 2024 Ferrari Roma. Compare Model.
• 2024 Ferrari SF90. Compare Model.
• 2025 Alfa Romeo Giulia. Compare Model. Positives.

What’s the most popular car brand in Italy?

Fiat
Which brand sold the most cars in Italy in 2022? Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fiat topped the country’s sales ranking with sales of just under 179,000 cars that year. The Italian car brand was followed by Volkswagen (roughly 104,900 passenger cars sold) and Toyota (approximately 92,200 units).

What brand of car is made in Italy?

Current major manufacturers

Company	Parent Company
Fiat (1899–present)	Stellantis
Lamborghini (1963–present)	Volkswagen Group
Lancia (1906–present)	Stellantis
Maserati (1914–present)	Stellantis