FIAT News
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Three companies have submitted bids for Opel so far, but another, China's Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC), has now joined the fray with an offer of more than $923 million. However, Opel front-runner Magna International's consortium partner Sberbank believes the bidding war is already over and that the Canadian automotive parts supplier is in the strongest position to take over GM’s European division. BAIC Chairman Xu Heyi has written to German politicians saying his company would be an “excellent home” for Opel, according to the Frankfurter Allegemeine...
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Report: Alfa Romeo to sell re-branded Dodge cars in EuropeLast week we brought you news of Alfa Romeo's plans for the U.S. and the support and enthusiasm that's growing over Alfa's attractive designs. This week there's news of cars going the other way across the Atlantic, this time Dodges to be re-branded as Alfa Romeos for Europe. It's not the only...
Alex Kaufmann -
Chrysler will sell four different Fiat 500 variants in U.S.Many in the U.S. have been hoping to receive the wildly popular Fiat 500 minicar for the past couple of years but a lack of interest in small cars has largely held it back. Now, with Fiat's alliance with Chrysler in place the Italian auto giant has a gateway to the lucrative U.S. market and the...
James Martinez -
New details emerge on Alfa Romeo's plan for the U.S.Alfa Romeo is a brand remembered fondly in living memory, and in the case of the 8C, desired greatly in the present, in the United States. Fiat's reputation with Americans is a different story - and that's why CEO Sergio Marchionne is focusing his efforts on the Alfa Romeo nameplate. So far only...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: U.S.-bound Fiat 500C convertible on the roadFiat's 500 minicar has been a smash hit since its debut, winning car of the year awards from numerous publications and organizations. Earlier this year it was joined by a convertible variant called the 500C and just yesterday the automaker released a flood of new images, revealing the car in much...
Jeremy Weber -
Chrysler resumes production post bankruptcy, starts with Dodge Viper SRT10With the Dodge Viper business safely in Fiat’s hands for now, production at the car’s Conner Avenue plant in Michigan has finally resumed. Chrysler stopped production at all of its North American plants when it filed for bankruptcy on April 30. The information was confirmed to the Wall...
Ralph Hanson -
The long-awaited return of Fiat and Alfa Romeo is due to get underway soon following the signing of the new alliance with Chrysler, and word of the first cars to be brought in is finally emerging. While most of the Italian cars will be skewed towards the smaller end of town, one of the most anticipated, the Alfa 169 (the replacement for the aging 166), will be a large, luxurious, RWD saloon. Reports coming out today claim that the Alfa Romeo 169 could be manufactured at Chrysler’s Brampton plant in Ontario. According to research firm IHS Global Insight, the 169 will most likely ride on...
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Magna may use Opel as vehicle supplier for other brandsThe saga surrounding General Motors’ European subsidiary Opel continues to unfold as the struggling automaker ponders the bids that are on offer. Now, anonymous sources close to Canada’s Magna International have revealed that if the auto parts giant wins the bid it will be executing a...
James Martinez -
Significant changes planned for ‘new’ Chrysler lineupChrysler’s viability plan presented to the U.S. Treasury back in February turned out to be a goldmine for information about the company’s future plans. Not only were there details about the next-generation Chrysler 300 and 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, but the documents also outlined...
Jeremy Weber -
Fiat-Chrysler deal official, Marchionne takes helm as CEOAfter 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 -
GM plans major changes for remaining dealershipsGeneral Motors already has plans to slash hundreds of its dealers late next year, but for the dealers who make it through the cuts it won't just be a case of 'business as usual'. Instead, the struggling automaker will be modifying its contracts with the remaining 4,100 or so dealers in its network...
James Martinez -
Supreme Court allows sale of Chrysler to FiatThe 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 -
Although Fiat's purchase of Chrysler seemed almost a done deal last week, today the U.S. Supreme Court has issued an indefinite stay on the sale until it can decide whether to hear an appeal from some of Chrysler's creditors. But the delay won't stop Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne from sticking to the plan, despite speculation to the contrary. The delay could spell disaster for the near-term profitability of the Chrysler-Fiat deal, which had been initially approved by a U.S. bankruptcy judge last week. Judge Gonzalez, who wrote the bankruptcy decision, said that the only alternative to approval...
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Fiat may turn to PSA Peugeot-Citroen should Opel bid failFiat's sudden interest in Chrysler and Opel highlight the Italian auto giant’s desire to build a large scale global manufacturing operation, but now that a deal with Opel appears to be far from certain there’s speculation as to where Fiat's interest will fall next. In top contention...
Kenneth Hall -
Judge allows sale of Chrysler assets to FiatA 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 -
Another round of dealer cuts imminent at GMJust a couple of weeks ago General Motors revealed that it would be cutting ties with over 1,100 dealerships, and the bad news keeps coming for dealers as the struggling automaker is expected to cut a further 450 dealerships in the coming months. Many dealerships are under franchise agreements with...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiat skips Opel talks, Chrysler deal to be finalized todayThe future of General Motors’ European division Opel will soon be a lot clearer as a buyer for the brand is expected to be announced within the next week. Up until now, one of the leading bidders for the brand was Fiat but today it has been revealed that the Italian auto giant has walked away...
Alex Kaufmann -
German governor says Magna is best choice for OpelThe contents of the bids for purchase of Opel submitted by Fiat, Magna and Ripplewood Holdings on Wednesday - and BAIC on Thursday - haven't yet been disclosed, but today the governor of the German state where Opel is headquartered said he thinks Magna's plan is the best for Opel. Though Hesse...
Alex Kaufmann -
Only yesterday it was announced that former Chairman of Borden Chemical and of Duracell International, Robert Kidder, would preside over a restructured Chrysler as its new CEO, but already reports have emerged claiming Fiat has appointed three new directors for the struggling carmaker. In the lead up to the announcement, rumors were rife that Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne would be appointed as Chrysler’s chief but now it appears that he will sit on the board of a newly formed Fiat-Chrysler entity. Joining Marchionne will be Fiat Powertrain Technologies CEO Alfredo Altavilla, as well as the...
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C. Robert Kidder to head Chrysler after restructuringNearly three weeks into Chrysler's bankruptcy and the global strategic alliance between Fiat and Chrysler comes news today that C. Robert Kidder - not Sergio Marchionne - will play the role of CEO for Chrysler after the bankruptcy. The news, which comes directly from Chrysler, contradicts a...
James Martinez -
Fiat merger with Opel could mean the end for LanciaItaly's Lancia has had a turbulent past and has only been back on the automotive radar for a short while now, however, the relatively niche brand may be on the outs again following news of Fiat's interest in Opel. Fiat, which has already formed an alliance with Chrysler, is now attempting to form a...
Ralph Hanson -
Video: Volkswagen shows off GLORIA advanced infotainment systemCars playing music and movies with touch-based interfaces isn't news - but doing it the way Volkswagen is with its new Global Open Infotainment Architecture System (GLORIA) is definitely something different. It's being developed by VW's Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL), and it features some...
Alex Kaufmann -
Fiat not planning to close plants in Europe as result of Opel dealFiat and Magna are still working with the German government on the takeover of Opel from General Motors' European operations, but Fiat is already being forced to quell concerns that it might shut down European Fiat plants if it does acquire Opel. Today Italian Industry Minister Claudio Scajola made...
Kenneth Hall -
Chrysler dealers fire back at proposed franchise rejectionsJust a couple weeks into the nascent Fiat-Chrysler partnership, trouble is already brewing. The American carmaker's 3,188 dealers, upon hearing that 789 of their number will be let go by June 6, banded together to prepare for a legal fight. The dealers are contesting Chrysler's incredibly short...
Nelson Ireson