Quote Of The Day: The Good Husband Edition

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Fiat doesn’t need other partners. We have a strong relationship with Chrysler and that is what we are actively working on

Fiat’s new Chairman, John Elkann, told shareholder’s in his family company Exor, exactly what every good, newlywed husband would say. Then again, not every husband had, shall we say, the appetite for partners that pre-Chrysler Fiat had. Just ask GM. Or BMW. Or Tata. Or Sollers. Or Zastava. Or SEAT. Or, you get the picture. Literally.

The photo above shows that you could even find Fiats in North Korea, renamed Pyeonghwa and built under license, but still bearing Fiat badges. So how does such a legendary alliance former, with conquests around the globe ever really settle down? How about by biting off more than it can chew. By keeping Fiat-Chrysler inside the Fiat conglomerate instead of spinning it off, Elkann is doubling down on the Fiat-Chrysler gamble. Having retreated from the US once already, Fiat is now committed to breaking the American market wide open. Hence the decision to add the Alfa brand to the mix. Given that Chrysler stakeholders from dealers to suppliers to consumers are concerned about the experiment’s future, you’re darn right Fiat’s going to focus on making sure it goes right. And it has its own problems in Europe as well. Like most marriages, this is going to be one of those “one day at a time” affairs.

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Sinistermisterman Sinistermisterman on Apr 30, 2010

    Chrysler should use exactly that advert with a picture of the Sebring instead. I'm 100% positive it would result in a sale.

  • Pgcooldad Pgcooldad on Apr 30, 2010

    Well, what do you expect from Fiat? Italians are lovers not fighters unlike the Visigoths and Vandals from Daimler. Marchionne called critics “fundamentally offensive,” “based on absolute hogwash” and “wholly unjustified.” - Do you feel Sergio's love TTAC? :0 "By keeping Fiat-Chrysler inside the Fiat conglomerate instead of spinning it off, Elkann is doubling down on the Fiat-Chrysler gamble." This is a good thing, isn't it? Americans would be foolish to not root for Fiat-Chrysler, and however long it takes, want the loans paid back.

  • Windswords Windswords on Apr 30, 2010

    "appetite for partners" would go to Daimler (more like appetite for rape victims, actually). I'm still trying to figure out what the purpose of this post is since it contains no news whatsoever. And where's that Daimler Deathwatch?

  • A is A A is A on Apr 30, 2010

    So the chinese are still producing the 1996 Fiat Palio. OMG.

    • See 3 previous
    • A is A A is A on May 01, 2010

      Uh, thank you for the interestig bit of info about the Juche agricultural machinery (you always learn something new at ttac). But, what is so wrong with the Chollima Tractor?. I have seen worse (and older) operative tractors in Spain in the 1980s. Spain was -then- the 10th world economy. I have the impression that farmers everywhere maintain operative ancient equipment. It is nice when I go to the countryside where I was raised and I see operative the very same old and battered Land Rovers I saw when I was 5yo (30 years ago). The Chollima does not look so bad, IMO. In Spain I have seen tractors with the body from a SEAT 600 to provide some weather protection.

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