Fabrizio Longo, the 62-year-old director of Audi Italy, tragically died on Sunday after falling approximately 10,000 feet while climbing Cima Payer in the Adamello Mountains near the Italian-Swiss border. An experienced mountaineer, Longo was nearing the summit when the accident occurred. According to the New York Post, a fellow climber witnessed the fall and promptly alerted rescue teams. Longo was pronounced dead at the scene after his body was found about 700 feet down a gorge.
A helicopter rescue team later retrieved his body and transported it to a hospital in Carisolo for further examination. The Italian Prosecutor’s Office has initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Details regarding Longo’s funeral will be announced once his body is released to his family.
Longo was renowned in the mountaineering community and had climbed routes equipped with fixed steel cables, ladders, and other aids, as reported by the Sun. Professionally, he has led Audi’s operations in Italy since 2013, having joined the company in 2012. His career in the automotive industry began in 1987 with Fiat, where he worked in marketing before moving to rival carmaker Lancia fifteen years later.
His passing has been mourned by the winter sports community and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. Flavio Roda, the federation’s head, described Longo’s death as “a terrible loss” and expressed solidarity with Longo’s family and Audi Italia.
An Audi spokesperson praised Longo, stating, “Fabrizio Longo has been leading the Audi brand in Italy with enormous success since 2013, confirming the brand’s leadership in the premium segment for 11 consecutive years. He was a person of great integrity, culture, capability, and sensitivity.”
