FACTBOX: Key facts about automaker Fiat

(Reuters) - Chrysler LLC filed for bankruptcy protection on Thursday and announced an industry-changing deal with Italy's Fiat SpA.

Fiat gets a stake starting at 20 percent, and can become the majority owner once government loans are repaid.

Here are key facts about Fiat:

* Fiat is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino. Founded in 1899, Fiat was built up by Giovanni Agnelli, who was inspired by Henry Ford's mass-assembly production line for the Model T car. Agnelli's grandson Gianni, known as "l' Avvocato" ("the Lawyer"), was chairman from 1966 until his death in 2003. The Agnelli family controls the industrial group with a 33.6 percent stake.

* Based in the northwestern city of Turin, Fiat is Italy's largest manufacturer, with 198,348 employees and commercial activities in 190 countries.

* Fiat makes cars, vans, trucks, tractors, engines and other parts. Its brands include Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati and Iveco. Its U.S. unit, CNH Global NV, makes construction and farming vehicles.

* In 2008, it made 2.15 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The 2007 launch of an updated version of the Cinquecento (500) has been a huge success, with the tiny city car winning a number of awards.

* The main markets for its cars and other vehicles are Europe and Latin America. In 2008, Fiat ranked sixth in Europe with a market share of 8 percent. It is the market leader in Brazil, where its core car business makes most of its profit.

* Fiat formed a series of joint ventures with other automakers like India's Tata Motors to save on development and production costs. Its latest and most ambitious move was to sign a preliminary agreement to form a partnership with Chrysler LLC in January to return to the U.S. market, where it has been absent since 1983.

* After 15 consecutive quarterly improvements in profitability, Fiat posted a lower profit in the fourth quarter of last year and a loss in the first quarter of 2009. It had a first-quarter group trading loss of 411 million euros on a 25 percent drop in revenue to 11.3 billion euros.

* Market capitalization is about 9.4 billion euros ($12.24 billion).

($1=.7678 Euro)

(Sources: Fiat, Reuters)

(Compiled by Gilles Castonguay; Editing by Toni Reinhold)