#ContractBuild

Marchionne to Apple: Pick Me! Pick Me!

It seems Sergio Marchionne may be switching teams when it comes to shacking up with another company to build cars of the future, reports Bloomberg.

At the Geneva International Motor Show, the self-confessed Apple geek said that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles would be well-suited to contract build a car designed in California.

“I would assume that we have the credibility to be one of the players they have looked at,” Marchionne said in Geneva. “There are parts of us that would be interesting for them.”

Mark Stevenson Mar 02, 2016

Recent Comments

Jkross22 Their bet to just buy an existing platform from GM rather than build it from the ground up seems like a smart move. Building an infrastructure for EVs at this point doesn't seem like a wise choice. Perhaps they'll slow walk the development hoping that the tides change over the next 5 years. They'll probably need a longer time horizon than that.
Lou_BC Hard pass
TheEndlessEnigma These cars were bought and hooned. This is a bomb waiting to go off in an owner's driveway.
Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Thankfully I don't have to deal with GDI issues in my Frontier. These cleaners should do well for me if I win.
Theflyersfan Serious answer time...Honda used to stand for excellence in auto engineering. Their first main claim to fame was the CVCC (we don't need a catalytic converter!) engine and it sent from there. Their suspensions, their VTEC engines, slick manual transmissions, even a stowing minivan seat, all theirs. But I think they've been coasting a bit lately. Yes, the Civic Type-R has a powerful small engine, but the Honda of old would have found a way to get more revs out of it and make it feel like an i-VTEC engine of old instead of any old turbo engine that can be found in a multitude of performance small cars. Their 1.5L turbo-4...well...have they ever figured out the oil dilution problems? Very un-Honda-like. Paint issues that still linger. Cheaper feeling interior trim. All things that fly in the face of what Honda once was. The only thing that they seem to have kept have been the sales staff that treat you with utter contempt for daring to walk into their inner sanctum and wanting a deal on something that isn't a bare-bones CR-V. So Honda, beat the rest of your Japanese and Korean rivals, and plug-in hybridize everything. If you want a relatively (in an engineering way) easy way to get ahead of the curve, raise the CAFE score, and have a major point to advertise, and be able to sell to those who can't plug in easily, sell them on something that will get, for example, 35% better mileage, plug in when you get a chance, and drives like a Honda. Bring back some of the engineering skills that Honda once stood for. And then start introducing a portfolio of EVs once people are more comfortable with the idea of plugging in. People seeing that they can easily use an EV for their daily errands with the gas engine never starting will eventually sell them on a future EV because that range anxiety will be lessened. The all EV leap is still a bridge too far, especially as recent sales numbers have shown. Baby steps. That's how you win people over.

Car Reviews By Make

view all

Top stories

Marchionne to Apple: Pick Me! Pick Me!

Latest Car Reviews

Drive Notes: 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale eAWD

Drive Notes: 2024 Ford Maverick Hybrid XLT

2024 Hyundai Elantra N Review – Tightening Up

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Review – Shockingly Spicy

Drive Notes: 2024 Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Line

Drive Notes: 2024 Nissan Versa SR

Drive Notes: 2024 BMW i5 M60 xDrive

Latest Product Reviews

Best Amazon Prime Day Deals for TTAC Readers

TTAC Video of the Week: Looking Back on NASCAR Invading LeMans

Here’s How To Get the Best Deal on Winter Tires Right Now

Best Power Inverters for Your Car: Plugging Away

Best Sunshades for the Car: Where the Sun Don't Shine

Recent Comments

Car Reviews By Make