#IndustryConsolidation

Marchionne Not Yet Ready For GM, Fields Not Interested In Any Merger

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne says he’s not ready to court General Motors’ shareholders for a merger, while Ford’s Mark Fields prefers no mergers at all.

Cameron Aubernon Jun 26, 2015

General Motors, FCA Recruit Advisors Amid Merger Standoff

The Lifetime movie starring FCA has reached the “dangerous stalker” phase, as the automaker and General Motors recruit advisors amid a merger standoff.

Cameron Aubernon Jun 18, 2015

Toyota, Ford Show No Interest In Heading Down The Aisle With FCA

When General Motors ultimately rebuffs FCA’s attempts to put a ring on it, Toyota or Ford could be the one true love, right? Not so fast.

Cameron Aubernon Jun 12, 2015

Marchionne Planning Shotgun Wedding For FCA With General Motors

How desperate has FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne become about marrying off his company? He’s asking activist investors to prod General Motors to the chapel.

Cameron Aubernon Jun 09, 2015

Elkann: Marchionne Emailed Barra, Others About Consolidation

FCA Chairman John Elkann confirmed CEO Sergio Marchionne did email General Motors CEO Mary Barra about consolidation, though GM wasn’t the only one.

Cameron Aubernon May 29, 2015

Marchionne Hearing Wedding Bells By 2018, No Marriage With Opel

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne believes consolidation will occur as early as 2018. Meanwhile, Opel won’t be taking FCA’s hand in marriage.

Cameron Aubernon May 28, 2015

Marchionne May Marry FCA To Apple, Google If No Automaker Will

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne’s search for a consolidation partner may take him to Silicon Valley if the automakers won’t give him the time of day.

Cameron Aubernon Apr 30, 2015

Marchionne Makes Case For Consolidation With 25-Page PowerPoint

Not one to give up on corporate marriage, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne posted a merger thesis on his company’s website prior to FCA’s Q1 2015 earnings call.

Cameron Aubernon Apr 29, 2015

Recent Comments

EBFlex Garbage but for less!
FreedMike I actually had a deal in place for a PHEV - a Mazda CX-90 - but it turned out to be too big to fit comfortably in my garage, thus making too difficult to charge, so I passed. But from that, I learned the Truth About PHEVs - they're a VERY niche product, and probably always be, because their use case is rather nebulous. Yes, you can run on EV power for 25-30 miles, plug it in at home on a slow charger, and the next day, you're ready to go again. Great in theory, but in practice, a) you still need a home charger, b) you paid a LOT more for the car than you would have for a standard hybrid, and c) you discover the nasty secret of PHEVs, which is that when they're on battery power, they're absolute pigs to drive. Meanwhile, to maintain its' piglike battery-only performance, it still needs to be charged, so you're running into all the (overstated) challenges that BEV owners have, with none of the performance that BEV owners like. To quote King George in "Hamilton": " Awesome. Wow." In the Mazda's case, the PHEV tech was used as a performance enhancer - which worked VERY nicely - but it's the only performance-oriented PHEV out there that doesn't have a Mercedes-level pricetag. So who's the ideal owner here? Far as I can tell, it's someone who doesn't mind doing his 25 mile daily commute in a car that's slow as f*ck, but also wants to take the car on long road trips that would be inconvenient in a BEV. Meanwhile, the MPG Uber Alles buyers are VERY cost conscious - thus the MPG Uber Alles thing - and won't be enthusiastic about spending thousands more to get similar mileage to a standard hybrid. That's why the Volt failed. The tech is great for a narrow slice of buyers, but I think the real star of the PHEV revival show is the same tax credits that many BEVs get.
RHD The speed limit was raised from 62.1 MPH to 68.3 MPH. It's a slight difference which will, more than anything, lower the fines for the guy caught going 140 KPH.
Msquare The argument for unlimited autobahns has historically been that lane discipline is a life-or-death thing instead of a suggestion. That and marketing cars designed for autobahn speeds gives German automakers an advantage even in places where you can't hope to reach such speeds. Not just because of enforcement, but because of road conditions. An old Honda commercial voiced by Burgess Meredith had an Accord going 110 mph. Burgess said, "At 110 miles per hour, we have found the Accord to be quiet and comfortable. At half that speed, you may find it to be twice as quiet and comfortable." That has sold Mercedes, BMW's and even Volkswagens for decades. The Green Party has been pushing for decades for a 100 km/h blanket limit for environmental reasons, with zero success.
Varezhka The upcoming mild-hybrid version (aka 500 Ibrida) can't come soon enough. Since the new 500e is based on the old Alfa Mito and Opel Adam platform (now renamed STLA City) you'd have thought they've developed the gas version together.

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Top stories

Marchionne Not Yet Ready For GM, Fields Not Interested In Any Merger

General Motors, FCA Recruit Advisors Amid Merger Standoff

Toyota, Ford Show No Interest In Heading Down The Aisle With FCA

Marchionne Planning Shotgun Wedding For FCA With General Motors

Elkann: Marchionne Emailed Barra, Others About Consolidation

Marchionne Hearing Wedding Bells By 2018, No Marriage With Opel

Marchionne May Marry FCA To Apple, Google If No Automaker Will

Marchionne Makes Case For Consolidation With 25-Page PowerPoint

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