Fiat Heir Elkann Ditches Trucks for Bits, Brands and Biotech (2)

The Agnelli family’s love affair with trucks began with the Fiat 24 HP that rolled off its Turin factory floor in 1903.

More than a century on, its Exor NV empire is charting a different path that’s taking it far from those production lines on the banks of Italy’s river Po. It’s one that weaves through Silicon Valley server farms, Paris couture salons and cutting-edge biotech labs.

Leading the transformational charge is John Elkann, the 49-year-old great-great-grandson of Fiat founder Giovanni Agnelli, who this week signed two deals that sever the dynasty’s ties with heavy vehicles.

John Elkann

Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg

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