(ANSA) -Lapo Elkann, grandson of Fiat's late longtime chief Gianni Agnelli, was rushed to hospital on Monday after overdosing on a cocktail of medicines and drugs, police sources in the northern city said. However, later on a Fiat company statement said that the problems were caused by medication and not drugs.
Elkann, who heads Fiat's Brand Promotion division, is reportedly in serious but not life-threatening conditions, the sources added. He is in the intensive care ward of Turin's Mauriziano hospital.
The company statement said his condition was "not worrying." Police sources had said earlier that the Fiat manager had overdosed on a mixture of cocaine and medicine. They added that an unidentified woman in Elkann's company in a Turin flat had called an ambulance at 09,00 local time. His elder brother John, 29, company deputy chairman and heir to the Fiat empire, was among the first to arrive at his bedside.
Lapo and John are the sons of Gianni's daughter Margherita and the writer Alain Elkann.
"Reports about my son's condition went over the top. But he's much better now," said Alain Elkann in a phone interview. Lapo has successfully launched new sportswear and leatherware lines with the Fiat logo to enhance the carmaker's image.
He is frequently pictured at the soccer matches of family club Juventus with other members of the Agnelli clan, and was often seen on the ski slopes with his former girlfriend, starlet Martina Stella.
The Italian media compare him to his grandfather, saying they shared passions for beautiful women, fast cars and high-powered lifestyle. "I had a great rapport with granddad. He taught me discipline, love for all things beautiful whether art or people," Lapo said in a recent interview.
Meanwhile, investigations led by Turin prosecutors are already under way to discover who gave Elkann the cocaine. Minimum possession of cocaine for personal use is not illegal in Italy.
