Partnership
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If we gave you just the three letters “GTI” to work with, and asked you to name a car, chances are very good it would be Volkswagen’s GTI. After all, the Golf derivative has been one of the world’s most beloved hot hatchbacks since it hit the market in 1976 (in Europe, anyways), and many of us have our own GTI stories to tell. In 2004, Volkswagen raised issue with Suzuki’s use of the “Swift GTi” nameplate, as it potentially created confusion for customers. Suzuki had been approved to use the GTi descriptor (note the lower case “i”) by...
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Nissan And Microsoft Partner For Cloud Computing Tech
An announcement between Microsoft and Nissan to develop a dealer management system further proves one thing we've learned this year: connectivity is becoming increasingly important in the auto industry. The two companies announced a "strategic relationship" on Monday, says the Financial Times (sub...
Antony Ingram -
Report: BMW, Daimler to end hybrid partnership
BMW and Daimler have been working more and more closely together over the past several years, especially since the need to share costs and improve bottom lines has become so sharp in 2009. But despite ongoing partnerships for vehicle safety technology, the hybrid partnership that spawned the...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiat-Chrysler deal official, Marchionne takes helm as CEO
After a dramatic courtship, government intervention and the odd Supreme Court order, Fiat and Chrysler have finally tied the knot. The new 'global strategic alliance' expands Fiat's reach back into the U.S., while offering the 'new' Chrysler - which is already in operation - the support it needs to...
Nelson Ireson -
Supreme Court allows sale of Chrysler to Fiat
The Supreme Court has approved the sale of substantially all of Chrysler's assets to Fiat, helping to finalize their alliance as well as the American automaker’s bankruptcy proceedings. Approval was given for the $2 billion sale of the assets to a new company that will be 68% controlled by a...
Ralph Hanson -
Judge allows sale of Chrysler assets to Fiat
A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Sunday approved the sale of substantially all of Chrysler's assets to Fiat, helping to finalize the two automaker’s alliance as well as the American company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Approval was given for the $2 billion sale of the assets to a new company...
Jeremy Weber -
Just days after reporting its first loss since Carlos Ghosn took the helm in 1999, Nissan is looking for ways to get back on track, and Ghosn thinks that means tightening its relationship with Renault. More cooperation could mean lower total costs and therefore more profitability, but the specifics have yet to emerge. Finding more areas to cooperate could mean sharing even more engines than the already-shared eight, sharing existing platforms and halting development of new platforms for the near future. The engine sharing alone could generate up to $675 million in additional earnings, reports...
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Fiat ranks last in UK JD Power survey, bodes poorly for Chrysler
Chrysler's vehicles, like all of America's cars, have improved greatly in recent years. But not-too-distant memory reminds us of the Le Baron and even of another ill-fated Italian tie-up and its Maserati-branded spawn. So Fiat's poor scores in the most recent JD Power survey in the United Kingdom...
Ralph Hanson -
Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli sheds light on resignation
News of Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli's departure has been making the rounds recently, but now the resigning chief has shed some light on the matter. Unlike his former counterpart at General Motors, Nardelli insists that he was not asked by the Obama administration to step down from the helm at...
James Martinez -
White House confirms bankruptcy plans for Chrysler, Nardelli to step down
The White House has announced Chrysler's entry into bankruptcy protection today, with talks between the Treasury Department and the carmaker failing to reach an agreement on the last day before the auto industry task force’s restructuring deadline. No further talks are planned but President...
Ralph Hanson -
Daimler agrees to offload 19.9% stake in Chrysler
Last October Daimler was forced to write-down the value of its remaining 19.9% stake in Chrysler to zero, yet up until now the German auto giant was still trying to sell the shares. Daimler has announced today that is has reached an agreement to unload its remaining stake in Chrysler, while also...
James Martinez -
Government preparing for possible Chrysler bankruptcy
As the April 30 deadline for Chrysler to restructure its business looms closer, the Treasury department has begun to prepare a bankruptcy filing for the struggling carmaker. The news highlights the severity of Chrysler's situation should it fail to enact a deal with Italian auto giant Fiat, but the...
James Martinez -
Chrysler's race to turn its debts into equity took a major turn for the better today, with an offer from a group of banks and hedge funds that hold almost $7 billion in debt. The group is proposing to exchange around $2.5 billion of Chrysler's debt, but only in exchange for close to 40% of the company. There is also a stipulation that Fiat must invest at least $1 billion in cash in Chrysler, as well as one seat given to the group on the company's board. The offer from the banks is a far cry from what the Treasury Department requested just last week, which was a debt reduction of around $6...
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3 Chrysler plants under consideration for Fiat re-tooling
Negotiations between Chrysler and Fiat regarding an alliance have now turned to production capabilities, and an anonymous source has revealed that three Chrysler plants are under consideration for possible re-tooling, at which point they will build Fiat vehicles, as well as Chrysler-badged vehicles...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiat threatens to walk away from Chrysler deal
At the end of March the President's task force on the auto industry put a 30-day window on Chrysler and Fiat reaching an alliance agreement. Just hours later Chrysler announced the two companies had signed off on the deal. That turned out to be premature, as there remains a strong chance that Fiat...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
More details on the potential Fiat-Chrysler alliance emerge
At the end of March the President's task force on the industry put a 30-day window on Chrysler and Fiat reaching an alliance agreement. Just hours later Chrysler announced the two companies had signed off on the deal. That turned out to be premature, but the deal is still being developed, with new...
Jeremy Weber -
Saturn's Franchise Operations Team leader says brand has partner, will survive
News that makes or breaks a carmaker's future isn't typically found in Danbury, Connecticut, but these aren't typical times. Saturn's Franchise Operations Team (FOT), a group of eight dealers, has a task force being led by Todd Ingersoll of Saturn of Danbury, and Ingersoll is saying that Saturn...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiat CEO says market is recovering, leaves Chrysler decision to Task Force
Chrysler might seem like the ugly girl at the dance right now, but Fiat wants to partner up for the long haul, and it thinks it has made a strong case to be allowed to do it. While the company leaves the decision up to President Obama's Task Force on the Auto Industry, Marchionne has turned his...
Nelson Ireson -
Following the announcement of the proposed alliance between Fiat and Chrysler in January, the question on everybody’s lips was which European top-sellers were finally going to come to North America. Stylish compact cars like the Fiat 500 and Bravo were suddenly a very real possibility for North America but those are just two of a handful of new models that could make their way Stateside. Up to seven different models from Fiat and Alfa Romeo could be sold locally, and latest reports indicate that one of these could be sold under the Jeep brand. To help meet impending CAFE regulations...
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Fiat and PSA Peugeot-Citroen deny merger rumors
Fiat Group, Chrysler and its parent company Cerberus Capital Management in January released a joint statement announcing they had signed a non-binding term sheet to establish a global strategic alliance. The alliance, a key element of Chrysler’s viability plan, would provide the American...
Kenneth Hall -
Marchionne confident Fiat can help Chrysler
The Fiat-Chrysler partnership has been brewing since well before the economic meltdown and federal loan bonanza of late 2008, but it's still taking shape as the carmakers find ways to work to their mutual benefit. Today Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne reaffirmed his confidence that Fiat will be able to...
Nelson Ireson -
Fiat and Chrysler deal may be completed by mid-February
Fiat and Chrysler first released a joint statement announcing they had signed a non-binding term sheet to establish a global strategic alliance just over two weeks ago but according to Fiat's CEO the deal could be signed and completed by as early as the middle of this month. The alliance, to be a...
James Martinez -
Report: Fiat and Chrysler alliance will see seven new models sold in U.S.
The proposed alliance between Chrysler and Fiat Group will reportedly see seven new vehicles introduced to the U.S. market, with most of the cars expected to be produced at idle Chrysler plants across North America. According to sources that have seen the product-sharing agreement, several of the...
Ralph Hanson -
What does the Fiat-Chrysler partnership mean to you?
Today’s news of Fiat's decision to acquire up to 35% of Chrysler has taken the automotive world by storm. What might such an alliance portend for Chrysler? What could Fiat possibly derive from the union? And how might you, the car enthusiast, feel about the whole thing? History is always a...
Nelson Ireson