Marchionne Calls For EU Intervention, End Of Free Trade

by Bertel Schmitt

October 10th, 2012 9:57 PM

It looks like Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne does not want to be head of the European automakers association ACEA much longer. Today, he called for a massive EU rescue package for the ailing European car industry, with coordinated capacity cuts as the centerpiece. He also called for a stop of free trade agreements. “Let the European car industry make its adjustments… This is not the time to embrace free trade,” Marchionne said while Reuters was taking notes.

Earlier this year, Marchionne had called for a massive government intervention that would require all automakers to shed capacity, most likely with financial support from Brussels. At the time, an anonymous European auto exec predicted serious pushback from the German side, which is doing just fine, danke. The German side did not waste time. To the delight of the EU, which has other problems, the German members of the ACEA did not support Marchionne’s plan, and it went nowhere. They also started working on Marchionne’s ouster. Soon thereafter, Volkswagen demanded that Marchionne step down as the head of the lobbying group, after Marchionne accused Volkswagen of dumping.

Last month, Marchionne said that ACEA’s board agreed all members would reach their own decisions. He also hugged Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn in front of cameras. “They hugged, but they did not kiss,” quipped Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche.

All of this seems to be forgotten, and Marchionne calls for the strong arm of Brussels again. Marchionne also said the EU should delay signing free trade agreements. When he said this before, it earned him a serious rebuke from EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht. Export-heavy German carmakers and export-heavy EU states are for FTAs. It seems like Marchionne is under a lot of stress, and the way he is going, he might be under more stress soon.

#ACEA #BertelSchmitt #Capacity #EU #Fiat #FTA #Italy #Marchionne

Comments

Join the conversation

4 of 36 comments

Schmitt trigger on Oct 11, 2012

"A TTAC “Bailout” definition primer:" Larry, excellent primer. All that it is missing is to replace the word "Brussels" with "Washington".

Like Reply
NMGOM on Oct 11, 2012

I must say, I had been a fan of the flamboyant, folksy, sweater-wearing, conversational Sergio. And A fan of his good leadership at Chrysler, including the image building SRT Viper and new Ram 1500. But this has gone too far. For the EU to curtail FTA's would fly in the face of its own desire for economic progress AND influence around the world. And it certainly represents a betrayal of Sergio's public agreement with Mr. Winterkorn. And it would again burden the people in "rich states" that have efficiently running companies, requiring them to spend their taxes saving people in poor states with car companies that can't do well. If that isn't ever Communism, what is?....except here among states not people. The Germans are already going to carry the bulk of the financial burden trying to save Greece. You certainly don't hear about great Italian car companies like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani crying for help, do you? Maybe Fiat should take a lesson from them and start making upscale, decent cars. "stroker49" was right. If the destiny of VW is to rule Europe in the automotive realm, then so be it. (I can hear BMW and Mercedes screaming already.) If Fiat cannot survive on its own merits, then it needs to go under: so be it. Carrying dead wood does little other than hurt your back and make suitable kindling. And, no, I was not in favor of the GM-and-Chrysler "bailout" (as formulated: the structured bankruptcy should have reverted the component divisions back into their individual original companies, --- then we could have some really good competition here.) ------------

Like Reply
- See 1 previous
- Th009 on Oct 12, 2012
  
  Ferrari is actually owned by Fiat, Lamborghini by Volkswagen. Given Pagani's cars are handcrafted and priced in the millions, Fiat is really the only independent manufacturer/manufacturing group in Italy.
  
  Like
- NMGOM on Oct 12, 2012
  
  @th009 Yup, thanks "th009"... Ferrari is "loosely" owned by Fiat (meaning they keep hands off, per agreement); Lambo is quite "tightly" owned by VW and even uses Audi parts; and Pagani is indeed independent, but you can still pick up a current Zonda F (not Huayra) for only €480K in Europe. (See price list). A few years ago, a Zonda F (NOT the "R") would have been about $320K, but now the price has gone up to about $600K stateside. But it has a manual transmission, and Huayra does not! (See links: the YouTube video is fun!). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIoFnfMhq_Y http://www.pagani.com/it/default.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagani_Zonda http://www.insideline.com/pagani/2012-pagani-huayra-first-look.html http://www.germancarforum.com/community/threads/the-pagani-zonda-f-price-list.6848/ ===============
  
  Like

Recent Comments

ToolGuy Question: F-150 FP700 (  Bronze or  Black) supercharger kit is legal in 50 states, while the  Mustang supercharger kit is banned in California -- why??
Scott "It may not be the ideal hauler to take the clan cross-country to Wally World considering range anxiety "Range Anxiety is a chosen term that conceals as much as it discloses. You don't care about range that much if you can recharge quickly and current BV's (battery vehicles) can't, no matter how good the chargers are. From what I've been reading it is likely that within 5 years there will be batteries in cars, most likely Tesla's, that can charge fast enough with no harm to the batteries to satisfy all of us with no need to increase range beyond a real world 300-ish miles.And that's when I buy one.
Charles I had one and loved it . Seated 7 people . Easy to park , great van
Jay Mason Your outdoor space will get better every year with a pergola. A horizontal, pole-supported framework for climbing plants is called a pergola. It creates a closed off area. pergola builder denton texas by Denton Custom Decks provide cover for outdoor gatherings. They would be more than happy to assist you with the pergola's framework.
Alan I would think Ford would beef up the drive line considering the torque increase, horse power isn't a factor here. I looked at a Harrop supercharger for my vehicle. Harrop offered two stages of performance. The first was a paltry 100hp to the wheels (12 000AUD)and the second was 250hp to the wheels ($20 000 (engine didn't rev harder so torque was significantly increased)). The Stage One had no drive line changes, but the Stage Two had drive line modifications. My vehicle weighs roughly the same as a full size pickup and the 400'ish hp I have is sufficient, I had little use for another 100 let alone 250hp. I couldn't see much difference in the actual supercharger setup other than a ratio change for the drive of the supercharger, so that extra $8 000 went into the drive line.