FACTBOX-Italy and its car industry

May 20 - Workers at Italian car maker Fiat's southern Italian plant at Pomigliano d'Arco fear a proposed merger with General Motor's European operations could cost jobs in one of the most depressed corners of Europe.

Below are some facts about Italy and its auto sector:

* Italy's auto industry is led by Fiat SpA, its biggest car manufacturer. Others in the sector include Pirelli Tyre, Brembo SpA and Pininfarina SpA.

* The car industry employs about 275,000 people, or 380,000 when including sales and after-sales services.

* The industry's annual turnover is 95 billion euros ($129.5 billion), representing 6.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) -- rising to 165 billion euros or 10.7 percent of GDP when including sales and after-sales services.

* Fiat was the sixth-biggest car maker in Europe by unit sales in 2008. The group, which includes Iveco trucks and CNH Global NV tractors, had 185,227 employees worldwide and 77,679 in Italy at the end of 2007.

* Its car business, Fiat Automobiles, had 50,542 employees worldwide, 30,069 of them in Italy in 2008. It has six plants in Italy, all of which have been shut down for weeks at a time to cut costs in the face of falling sales.

* Fiat brands include Alfa Romeo and Lancia. It sold 1.18 million units in 2008, down 5.5 percent.

Sources: Fiat Group, European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association of Italy, Italian ministries of Transport and Infrastructure.