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If Tesla Model 3 is successful, Sergio Marchionne will copy it

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne hasn't hidden his disdain for electric vehicles, but he would copy the Tesla Model 3 if it is successful, according to Automotive News Europe. If Elon Musk "can show me that the car will be profitable at that price, I will copy the formula, add the Italian design flair and get it to the market within 12 months," Marchionne told Automotive News Europe during FCA's annual meeting in Amsterdam. In terms of pre-orders, the Model 3 is a success. Musk tweeted on April 7 that the company had over 325,000 reservations for the sedan, which he estimated were worth around $14 billion. The car will start at $35,000 before incentives. Marchionne, however, isn't optimistic Tesla can actually make the electric sedan work financially. "I'm am not surprised by the high number of reservations but you have then to build and deliver them and also be profitable," he told ANE. The FCA boss is a noted skeptic of EVs. In 2012, he said that the company only built the 500e because of California's zero-emissions vehicle mandate and to give engineers experience with the technology. He doubled-down in 2014 when he claimed FCA lost $14,000 on each 500e and said he would rather people didn't buy them. More recently, he infamously said "you'd have to shoot me first," before he'd allow a fully electric Ferrari. Related Video:

Fiat Chrysler target 850k sales in China by 2018

Behind the vanguard of numerous Jeep models, two Chryslers, a smattering of Fiats and Alfa Romeos and local production through a joint venture with Guangzhou Automotive Group (GAG), Fiat Chrysler wants to increase sales in China more than six-fold by 2018. The group sold 130,000 cars in China in 2013, the aim for 2018 being 850,000 cars.
Ultimately it's expected that the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cherokee, Wrangler, Renegade, the coming Grand Wagoneer and a sub-Renegade-sized crossover will either be built in or exported to the People's Republic. The Chrysler Town & Country and 300 will join the export list in 2016 and 2018 respectively, according to a report in Automotive News.
With a number of those vehicles not in production or perhaps even envisaged yet, and others not due on the local market until 2018, it will be interesting to see how Fiat Chrysler plans to achieve the target in the specified timeframe. The joint venture with GAG builds two products now, the Dodge Dart-based Fiat Viaggio launched two years ago - supposedly designed just for China - and the just-launched Fiat Ottimo, a hatchback version of the Viaggio. Fiat projected 300,000 Viagio sales in its first two years, that number has been adjusted downward to 94,000 and there doesn't appear to be an analyst alive that sees a good future for Fiat in China's overrun mainstream market. Still, last year's 130,000 group sales in China is a huge jump from 2012 sales of 66,000 units, but less than half the 300,000 units it projected.

2017 Chrysler Town & Country shows its 200-inspired face

Chrysler's new Town & Country is expected to debut in the next several months, featuring a new plug-in hybrid powertrain on top of a new look. While we're still short on details about the new propulsion system, a new round of spy photos is giving us a great look at the T&C's modernized aesthetic. In short, think of a puffed up, ultra-versatile Chrysler 200, and you'll have an idea of what the new Town & Country will look like. Spied on what we're guessing is Fiat Chrysler's US headquarters – seeing body shells like this just hanging around the Auburn Hills, MI campus isn't strange, although this does seem like an especially haphazard case – the new van's look is far less upright than the current model. In general, this new vehicle should be sleeker and, dare we say, more compact than the current Town & Country. Alongside the all-wheel-drive plug-in model, our spies report the new T&C will be offered with a 3.2-liter V6, which we're betting was pilfered from the Cherokee, the only other FCA model to use the smaller version of the Pentastar. It's unclear if all-wheel drive will be featured on the ICE-only model. Beyond the class-exclusive PHEV powertrain, our spies report the new van will combat the Honda Odyssey's nifty, built-in vacuum cleaner with a unit of its own. Other innovations will include hands-free side doors – we're guessing these would be some version of the increasingly popular smart tailgates, which simply require a kick of the foot to open. Of course, we'll know all about the new Town & Country early next year, with its expected debut slated for the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. Featured Gallery 2017 Chrysler Town and Country: Spy Shots Image Credit: Brian Williams / SpiedBilde Green Spy Photos Detroit Auto Show Chrysler Green Driving Minivan/Van Hybrid chrysler town and country