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Major automakers post mixed US June sales figures

General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV posted declines in US new vehicle sales for June on Monday, while major Japanese automakers reported stronger figures. Once again, demand for pickup trucks and crossovers offset a decline in sedan sales. Automakers' shares rose as overall industry sales still came in above Wall Street expectations. The US auto industry is bracing for a downturn after hitting a record 17.55 million new vehicles sold in 2016. Analysts had predicted that overall, US vehicle sales would fall in June for the fourth consecutive month. As the market has shown signs of cooling, automakers have hiked discounts and loosened lending terms. Car shopping website Edmunds said on Monday the average length of a car loan reached an all-time high of 69.3 months in June. "It's financially risky, leaving borrowers exposed to being upside down on their vehicles for a large chunk of their loans," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds' executive director of industry analysis. GM said its sales fell about 5 percent versus June 2016, but that the industry would see stronger sales in the second half of 2017 versus the first half. "Under the current economic conditions, we anticipate US retail vehicle sales will remain strong for the foreseeable future." GM shares were up 2.4 percent in morning trading, while Ford rose 3.3 percent and FCA shares jumped 6 percent. "US total sales are moderating due to an industry-wide pullback in daily rental sales, but key US economic fundamentals clearly remain positive," said GM chief economist Mustafa Mohatarem. "Under the current economic conditions, we anticipate US retail vehicle sales will remain strong for the foreseeable future." Ford said its sales for June were hit by lower fleet sales to rental agencies, businesses, and government entities, which fell 13.9 percent, while sales to consumers were flat. But it sold a record 406,464 SUVs in the first half of the year, with Explorer sales increasing 23 percent in June. And sales of the F-150 had their strongest June since 2001. On a media call, Ford executives said an initial read of automakers' sales figures indicated a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of around 17 million new vehicles for the month, which would be better than 16.6 million units analysts had predicted. FCA said June sales decreased 7 percent versus the same month a year earlier.

Ferrari officially files SEC paperwork to register future IPO

Late last year FCA announced plans to spin off Ferrari into a separate company, and after a long wait that process has finally become official. The Prancing Horse has now filed the necessary prospectus and other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission to hold an initial public offering on The New York Stock Exchange. The paperwork doesn't mention a specific date for the Italian sportscar maker's IPO, but it's expected sometime in October. At this point, the documents also don't include some other vital data about the IPO. Ferrari lists neither the number of shares being offered nor their price. The company also doesn't have a stock symbol yet. UBS, BofA Merrill Lynch and Santander are acting as joint book runners for the deal. As part of the IPO, FCA initially intends to sell 10 percent of Ferrari's shares on the stock market. Another 10 percent of the company still belongs to Piero Ferrari. FCA is holding onto the remaining 80 percent in the short term for financial reasons but intends to distribute them to shareholders in early 2016. After the spin-off, about 24 percent of Ferrari would be owned by Exor, 10 percent by Piero Ferrari, and 66 percent by public shareholders, according to the SEC documents. FCA boss Sergio Marchionne believes that Ferrari could be worth over $11 billion. Although, his estimate might be slightly high. According to Reuters, Wall Street is actually putting the value somewhere between $5.5 billion and $11 billion. If you're thinking about investing in the company or just want to read the nitty-gritty about the brand's financial health, the entire SEC filing can be read here. Ferrari Files for Initial Public Offering LONDON, July 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. ("FCA") announced today that its subsidiary, New Business Netherlands N.V. (to be renamed Ferrari N.V.), has filed a registration statement on Form F-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") for a proposed initial public offering of common shares currently held by FCA. The number of common shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined, although the proposed offering is not expected to exceed 10% of the outstanding common shares. In connection with the initial public offering, Ferrari intends to apply to list its common shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

Fiat ups Chrysler stake by 3.3%, inches closer to full control

Fiat is one step closer to completing a merger with Chrysler after exercising an option to acquire an additional 3.3 percent of the Auburn Hills-based automaker today. Automotive News reports that Fiat now controls 68.49-percent of Chrysler, which is up almost 10 percent since we last heard news of this deal back in February when Fiat talking to various banks to raise more capital in order to complete the acquisition.
The article says that Fiat is still able to increase its stake in Chrysler up to 75 percent over the next 12 months, but it sounds like CEO Sergio Marchinonne would rather purchase the remaining shares from VEBA - the retiree benefits trust - sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, the two sides still seem far from an agreement on a fair price for the rest of Chrysler, as Fiat has them valued at $4.2 billion compared to the $10.3 billion estimate from the unions that currently own the remaining stake in Chrysler.