1986 Dodge 600 Base Convertible 2-door 2.5l (chrysler Lebaron Twin) on 2040-cars

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Marchionne ready to get tough with GM over merger

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne absolutely refuses to let go of his dream of a merger with General Motors. With official discussions not happening, Marchionne now hints that a hostile takeover attempt of The General could be under consideration as a future strategy. In a massive interview with Automotive News, the boss explains why a tie-up with GM might be such a windfall for both automakers. By Marchionne's numbers, a merged GM-FCA would produce $30 billion a year in global earnings and 17 million vehicles annually. He claims these huge figures are based on analyzing plants around the world to find growth opportunities. So far, GM is refusing to sit down and look at the numbers, let alone even begin to negotiate. For now, Marchionne just wants to talk, but he's not against aggressive action, if necessary. He uses a bizarre metaphor in the interview to explain his feelings. "There are varying degrees of hugs. I can hug you nicely, I can hug you tightly, I can hug you like a bear, I can really hug you. Everything starts with physical contact," he said to Automotive News. "An attack on GM, properly structured, properly financed, it cannot be refused," he said in the interview. Marchionne is looking for partners, too. The UAW's significant stake in GM could be a strong ally, and he's reportedly recruiting activist investors for more help. Selling Magneti Marelli and spinning off Ferrari would put even more cash in the war chest. Both sides also have banks at their aid. While Marchionne received positive replies from some of his "Plan B" partners, he apparently lost interest in working with them. "Are they the people I wanted to get the response from? The answer is probably not. There are people who are interested in doing deals," he said in the interview. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Photo Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat GM Sergio Marchionne FCA merger

2015 Chrysler 200

For the last seven years, the Chrysler Sebring/200 has been a car that few people have managed to say anything good about. When you saw one on the road, it was probably silver and you probably assumed it was rented - especially if it was a convertible. In fact, this writer has never been in one. Ever. I've only watched them go by, trailed always by a roiling wake of invective and vituperation, a lone defender or two asserting meekly and in vain, "It's actually not that bad..."
With roughly 2.3-million units sold every year in the midsize sedan segment where the 200 lives, even tallying 125,476 sales in 2012 (when the 200 was the best-selling car in the Chrysler Group) was never going to be enough. This is the brand's volume offering and the entry point for new-car buyers before they move up to something like a full-size or a crossover. Chrysler's 2011 facelift and rebranding program was a pretty valiant attempt at putting lipstick on a Sebring, but the automaker needed to do a lot better, in every way to command more consideration, sales, respect and resale value - and everyone at The Pentastar knew it.
Enter the 2015 Chrysler 200. This is the sedan that "charts a new course for the Chrysler brand," from its hovering wing badge on the grille to the one billion dollars invested in the company's suburban Detroit Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, including more than doubling the number of quality control inspectors in the new quality assurance center.

Ferrari and FCA are officially separated

It's been a long time in the making, but it's officially happened: Ferrari is no longer part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Following the Italian automaker's initial public offering, it has officially split off from its former parent company. As part of the spin-off, FCA's stakeholders will each receive one common share in Ferrari for every ten they hold in Fiat Chrysler. Special voting shares will be distributed in the same proportions to certain shareholders as well. Those shares being distributed will account for 80 percent of the company's ownership. Another ten percent was floated as part of the company's IPO, while the remaining 10 percent is held by Enzo's son Piero Ferrari (pictured above at center), who serves as vice chairman of the company. The shares will continue to be traded under the ticker symbol RACE on the New York Stock Exchange, and will begin trading this week as well under the same symbol on the Mercato Telematico Azionario, part of the Borsa Italiana in Milan. Since the extended Agnelli family headed by chairman John Elkann (above, right) holds the largest stake in FCA, expect it to continue controlling the largest portion of Ferrari shares as well. Between them, nearly half of the shares in the supercar manufacturer – and we suspect a little more than half of the voting rights – will be controlled by the Agnelli and Ferrari families, who are expected to cooperate to ensure the remaining shareholders don't attempt a takeover of the company. Similar to its former parent company, which operates out of Turin and Detroit, the Ferrari NV holding company is nominally incorporated in the Netherlands, but the automaker will continue to base its operations in Maranello, Italy. That's where it's always been headquartered, on the outskirts of Modena. For the time being, Sergio Marchionne (above, left) remains both chairman of Ferrari and chief executive of FCA – a position to which he is not unaccustomed, having previously headed both Fiat and Chrysler before the two officially merged. Related Video: Separation of Ferrari from FCA Completed LONDON, January 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. ("FCA") (NYSE: FCAU / MTA: FCA) and Ferrari N.V. ("Ferrari") (NYSE/MTA: RACE) announced today that the separation of the Ferrari business from the FCA group was completed on January 3, 2016. FCA shareholders are entitled to receive one common share of Ferrari for every 10 FCA common shares held.