@texases, I’ve never known the math to work out that way. FCA is the sum of two losers, IMO, and they don’t appear to be winning much in the USA. Maybe it’s too early to tell.
I was playing with Marchione’s interest in a big partner for FCA. It seems to me that only a desperate auto company would want to hook up with FCA. VW fits that description right now. If I were the king of the Black Forest, I would not want to merge with FCA. In the end, VW may not have much choice.
I dunno, I don’t personally think the VW family would allow a merger but it wouldn’t be the first time the Germans teamed up with the Italians. Maybe Fiat had visions of a Fiat 500 in every Chrysler showroom or something and people would just swoon over them like in Italy.
Beating a dead Horse only results in swarms of flies .
…or, if FCA is seeking a partnership with a car company that has excess capacity that is not currently being utilized for manufacturing, they could “hook-up” with Mitsubishi. That could help to keep Mitsu from going under, and it would give FCA some decent vehicles to place in their showrooms.
Think about it…The Mitsu Galant wasn’t able to compete successfully with the sedans from Toyota, Nissan, & Honda, but, perhaps with a facelift and a new Dodge/Chrysler badge, they might sell in just enough quantity for FCA to at least have some sedans to sell alongside their high-profit trucks and SUVs.
And, it certainly wouldn’t be unprecedented. Back in the '70s, Mitsu manufactured the “Colts” that were sold with Dodge & (I think) Plymouth badges.
I'd treat discounted versions like 3 day old fish.
My sentiments exactly. They are discounted for a reason…
We’ll likely end up with small cars designed by Fiat and built in Italy and Mexico, while the US and Canada plants make the larger vehicles.
Ford has already gone that route and others are moving small car manufacturing to Mexico as well. If Trump becomes president, he will try to reverse this, of course!!!
China might be more likely to ‘partner’ with FCA (from Reuters):
"Guangzhou Auto’s own-brand subsidiary GAC Motor declared its intention in 2015 to reach the U.S. market by next year, where it would become the first Chinese passenger car brand sold to American consumers.
“Chrysler’s development in China required our support. Now for GAC Motor’s development in the U.S. we also hope for Chrysler’s support and help,” said GAC Motor General Manager Wu Song on the sidelines of the Beijing auto show, which ends on May 4.
Wu and representatives of GAC Motor did not elaborate on what type of support Fiat Chrysler might offer. A Fiat Chrysler spokesman declined to comment."
Hmm, support for a Chinese car manufacturer… What could that support be?
Based on their success (or lack) in Europe, I’d guess they need help in; Structural engineering, ergonomic design, emissions engineering, engine calibration, chassis development including shocks, springs, drivability, NVH, NHTSA compliance and reporting, sales and service, and there are a few others I’ve probably forgotten. None of this is required where they now sell and they have no clue about it.
There is a great book on the history of the auto industry from the perspectives of Ford and Nissan called The Reckoning. Nissan’s struggles to understand the differences in the US and Japanese markets and what they needed to change on their cars to meet the American tastes and demands is very interesting.
My observations indicate that the new car dealerships will soon be flooded with fully equipped mid size sedans with low mileage coming off lease and the buyers’ market will result in great bargains. Who could ask for anything more?
I attended a large auto show in OK City when the 200 was first being introduced. Chrysler had a 200 sitting on a low podium with a well dressed model fawning over it.I did not see one person the entire time even step up there and look at the car closely and almost everyone who walked by didn’t even give it a second look.
Meanwhile at a car show I was recently at, I saw people crowding around the Hyundai Veloster. Just goes to show that certain car companies have taught the public that it is possible to have a small, practical car that does not bore you to tears.
The dumb conclusion that FCA has reached here is that people don’t want small cars, when the real conclusion is that people don’t want small Chrysler cars because they suck. 
Shadow, that’s a bit less diplomatic than I would have been, but it’s right on target. 
I have definitely never been accused of being diplomatic. 
After listening to Donald Trump’s in the last few weeks, I think all you guys are paragons of diplomacy!
We’ll build a wall around Fiat/Chrysler and make the Italians pay for it!
-ducks-
At least there is a requirement now to list the country of origin and percentage on the window sticker. So if they are made in China, it should be clear.
There is a wall in China already isn’t there? I’ve got a wall around my house that works pretty well and the school near me has a wall that keeps the kids in. In Jerusalem the wall seemed to work pretty good, but obviously something pretty substantial would need to be done to stop people pouring over the borders and drugs through the tunnels.
I like the analogy to the Veloster by @shadowfax; it is a fun small car. So it can be done and doesn’t need to cost over 50K to buy one.
I am surprised more at Fiat than Chrysler; Fiat has had a lot of small fun cars-just not reliable. They could improve them and sell them.
Someone hit the Veloster with an ugly stick. A big one.
@galant I don’t think Fiat has any concept of what reliability is or what it entails in getting it in their products.
When I lived in Malaysia a colleague bought his wife a neat little Fiat with air conditioning. It would not cool the car and it had other problems as well. The dealers were told to tell their customers that “the car was not designed for a hot climate”!!! There was no fix to get the thing cooler.
Since Italy is a hot country at least half the year, there is no excuse for such a shoddy product!
I have also noticed this with Italian Industrial products. A perfectly good GE gas turbine built under license by an Italian company results in an unreliable product!
I like many things Italian; wine, cheese, silk ties, Italian cooking, and my wife adores Amalfi shoes. But we’ll leave it at that!
“I like many things Italian; wine, cheese, silk ties, Italian cooking, and my wife adores Amalfi shoes.”
Italian styling is almost always really good.
However, whether the product will last for the long haul, is another issue entirely.
I have been told by more than one person that the beautiful-looking Armani suits they bought (for big bucks) needed to be re-stitched in many areas after only a few months because the original stitching was already coming loose.
@VDCDriver I have to admit I own one good Italian product. My $300 Zamberlan hiking boots are made in Tyrol, Northern Italy by folks whose life often depends on having the correct gear and footwear.
Like the Swiss Raichle and the better American boots, they are completely trustworthy. My wife once had an accident on a 30 miles mountain trek where the sole of her Romanian made boot completely detached itself at the half way point. Luckily a team member carried a roll of duct tape and she was able to finish to hike.
The outdoor outfitter shop refunded her the full price of the boots.