Fiat won't risk rating downgrade to buy Chrysler stake, Marchionne says

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said the Italian automaker won't risk a credit-rating downgrade to gain full ownership of Chrysler and he isn't in talks to acquire the UAW retiree health-care trust fund's stake in the U.S. automaker.Fiat won't risk rating downgrade to buy Chrysler stake, Marchionne says

Chrysler's Marchionne works on investors, debt

Toledo — Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of Chrysler Group LLC, said Sunday he will have wrapped up more than 50 meetings with investors by May 18 in efforts to privately sell down debt to refinance and repay $7.5 billion in government loans.Chrysler's Marchionne works on investors, debt

Chrysler says it will repay U.S. rescue loans by midyear

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, said today Chrysler Group could repay $7.53 billion in debts to the U.S. and Canadian governments before the end of June.Chrysler says it will repay U.S. rescue loans by midyear

Marchionne confirms Fiat pledge to invest $27B in Italy

Fiat SpA Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne confirmed the Italian carmaker's pledge to spend 20 billion euros ($27 billion) revamping its domestic plants after meeting with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.Marchionne confirms Fiat pledge to invest $27B in Italy

No decision on Fiat-Chrysler HQ

Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, said he must be open about corporate governance matters between the two companies...more

Sergio Marchionne has raised industrial and political tension

Sergio Marchionne is demanding labor in Italy must adopt the UAW style contracts in return for a 20billion dollar investment.


Quote:"---If they refuse, Mr Marchionne has said he will pull all or part of Italy’s biggest private employer out of the country and move industrial jobs to lower-cost sites in Poland, Serbia or North America....More

Chrysler's product plans to be shown in 'six-hour extravaganza'

WINDSOR, Ont. — Some industry analysts are calling it "a six-hour extravaganza." That's the length of time Chrysler Group LLC has allotted for the public unveiling of its long-awaited, five-year product and business plan.

Journalists and auto analysts will gather at the Technology Centre at the automaker's Auburn Hills, Mich., headquarters Nov. 4 to hear CEO Sergio Marchionne finally release details of how he intends to integrate Fiat and Chrysler in a way that ensures the No. 3 automaker's survival.

Although his revival efforts face an avalanche of skepticism, the Italian-Canadian CEO is being compared to industry icon Lee Iacocca. Following a speech recently to the Detroit Economic Club, U.S. Transportation SecretaryRay Lahood said Marchionne is "the next generation of Lee Iacocca....More

Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne Has Five Year Plan

FRANKFURT -- Chrysler Group LLC Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said Wednesday he has designed a five-year plan for the auto maker and plans to share some of the details in November.

Mr. Marchionne, who is also CEO of Fiat SpA, said Fiat expects Chrysler's restructuring to initially progress slowly but significantly improve next year. He said Fiat is scheduled to present the plan for Chrysler by the end of November and that Chrysler will start reporting quarterly results by the end of the year.

"We are going to become a normal reporter in the U.S. hopefully by the end of 2009," Mr. Marchionne said at the Frankfurt auto show. "You will see numbers like you see for everyone else. I think we need to lift the shroud of secrecy from around the house. We have nothing to hide."

Mr. Marchionne said he had a "whole pile of surprises" when Fiat took control of the bankrupt Chrysler in June.......More

Obama auto task force to come to Detroit next week

WASHINGTON -- Leaders of President Barack Obama’s auto task force will travel to Detroit next week to meet with industry and labor officials worried about an imminent collapse of several companies absent federal aid.

An administration official said final details of the trip were still being worked out, but the task force visitors will include advisers Steven Rattner and Ron Bloom.


The task force has been conducting a string of meetings over the past two weeks to gather information and assess the depth of the problems facing the industry. General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have said they need a total of $7 billion before the end of the month to avoid bankruptcy, and several suppliers are also on the brink.


Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne met with Rattner, Bloom and other members of the task force for two and a half hours today to discuss Fiat’s proposed alliance with Chrysler. Fiat has said it would take a 35% stake in Chrysler in return for sharing vehicle designs that could be used for several new Chrysler models.

Chrysler And Fiat Merger

From Forbes Jerry Flint

The announced deal between Chrysler and Fiat has benefits for both, but it is not a game changer--not yet.

The alignment between Fiat of Italy and Chrysler does not exactly save Chrysler, but it gives Fiat an entry into the U.S. In short, Fiat is to get 35% of Chrysler, will not pay any cash for the stake, and it will give Chrysler access to its technology.

Fiat (nyse: FIA - news - people ) had publicly said it wanted a production base in North America for its Alfa Romeo brand--and presumably the Fiat brand, too. Through its 35% interest that it is getting in Chrysler, it would presumably have access to a U.S. plant to build its cars.

The chief executive of Fiat, Sergio Marchionne, has also worried that his company was not big enough to survive in today's world. Marchionne was born in Italy in 1952 but built his early career in Canada and has dual Canadian and Italian citizenship. Chrysler has some Canadian plants, and the Canadian autoworkers union, separated from the American UAW, has been quite cooperative in working with the industry in recent years.

So at no cash cost, Fiat may have its production base on this continent. What about Chrysler? The company has been weak technically and does not have enough money to finance the kind of new vehicle programs that Chrysler needs to stay competitive in this market.

Fiat is strong in small cars and in their engines and transmissions, as well as in luxury cars and diesel engines. Getting the technology could be a huge help for Chrysler, but the American company will still need the money and ability to create new cars even with Fiat technology.

The alliance might help Chrysler if it needs to get more money from the American government in its battle to survive.

Chrysler's strength has been in sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans. We do not know Fiat's degree of interest in these businesses. Meanwhile, another foreign maker, Nissan (nasdaq: NSANY - news - people ) (which is part of the Renault/Nissan alliance) has an agreement with Chrysler whereby Nissan is to get a version of the Dodge Ram, a big pickup, and Nissan is to build small cars destined for Chrysler....More