GM Inside News Forum banner

Fiat/Chrysler's new 5-year plan - Russia, China and North America crucial

3K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  EcoBustier69 
#1 ·
NEWS ANALYSIS
Russia, China and North America crucial to Fiat's new 5-year plan

Luca Ciferri
Automotive News | April 14, 2010 - 12:01 am EST

TURIN -- Russia, China and North America will play crucial roles in Fiat S.p.A. CEO Sergio Marchionne's vision for the Italian automaker. Marchionne will announce the company's five-year strategic plan on April 21.

Marchionne already has promised that Fiat Group and Chrysler Group will sell a combined 5.5 million to 6 million vehicles by 2014. He says Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram will account for 2.8 million of the total. This means Fiat's seven brands (Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lancia, Maserati, Fiat Professional) will have to sell 2.7 million to 3.2 million units in 2014 to do their part.

Last year, Fiat Group sold 2.3 million units while Chrysler Group sold 1.3 million.

We will have to wait another seven days to find out the exact targets for Fiat. At that time we also should learn which Fiat products will be produced -- and where.

Here is what we know now:

• Fiat will spend 2.4 billion euros (about $3.3 billion) to expand its Russian joint venture with local automaker Sollers so that the partners can make 500,000 units a year in the country by 2016. Fiat sold 18,830 units in Russia last year

• Fiat plans to produce 220,000 units a year in China by 2014 as part of it newly created joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group Co., which already has partnerships in China with Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Fiat doesn't currently produce cars in China and sells a limited number of exported models in the world's largest auto market

• Fiat will build the 500 minicar for North America and Brazil at a Chrysler plant in Mexico. Fiat also is likely to make some Alfa Romeo models in North America. Those cars will be distributed globally. In addition, Fiat may provide Chrysler a subcompact sedan for North America and offer a Fiat-badged small minivan in the market. Both cars would be produced in Europe.

For more on what has been reported about the Fiat five-year plan as well as some insights on what we are likely to hear on April 21, check out the alphabetical by-brand, by-country roundup below.

Abarth

Fiat's sporty sub-brand, which produces high-performance variants of the Fiat 500 minicar and Punto subcompacts, is expected to extend its reach after having been put together with the Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands in late January.

Alfa Romeo

After a heated internal debate on whether to sell or keep Alfa Romeo, Fiat decided to try another relaunch of its money-losing sporty brand. Marchionne appointed Fiat Group Chief Technical Officer Harald J. Wester as Alfa CEO in late January. Wester's mission is to prepare a new, viable business case for Alfa.

Alfa's future hinges on its ability to launch sought-after new models and create synergies with Chrysler. The automaker will produce the MiTo subcompact, Giulietta compact hatchback, which goes on sale in May in Europe, and a forthcoming Giulietta-based mid-sized crossover in Italy.

The rest of the Alfa's new range is likely to be built in cooperation with Chrysler in North America. The cars would be exported to Europe and other global markets.

Two of the models considered for North America are a mid-sized sedan and station wagon to replace the Europe-only 159 range. The cars would be built on the Compact Wide architecture, which is a U.S. version of the Fiat's Compact architecture that has been widened by 40mm (1.57 inches). The same architecture also is likely to underpin an Alfa large crossover.

Alfa is still struggling to build a strong business case to make a large sedan to replace the discontinued Alfa 166. Alfa needs a large sedan to compete in the U.S. market, but that segment is nearly dead in Europe and does not appear to be ready for a rebound.

If built, Alfa's new large sedan would be based on the Chrysler 300's rear-wheel-drive platform and manufactured in Chrysler's plant in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The platform is used for the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger, which are all built in Brampton.

It is still unclear whether Alfa will add a new compact, rear-drive roadster reminiscent of the Duetto. Neither Fiat nor Chrysler has an appropriate-sized rear-wheel-drive platform. Alfa had been looking to competitors to use such a platform under license.

Bertone

In August 2009, Fiat bought Carrozzeria Bertone's manufacturing plant in Grugliasco, which is just outside of Turin. The aim is to use the plant to produce up to 50,000 niche models a year for Fiat and Chrysler. Details remain scarce, but what is possible is that the plant, which is now called Officine Automobilistiche Grugliasco, will build a large coupe and large cabriolet based on the Chrysler 300's rear-drive platform. Brands that could get the cars include Chrysler, Lancia and possibly Maserati.

Brazil

Brazil, which passed Italy last year to become Fiat's No. 1 sales market and is poised to become the world's fourth-largest market overall this year, is expected to continue to be a cash cow for Fiat. The automaker will launch the new-generation Uno subcompact car (project 327) next month while the new generation of the Palio range (project 326) arrives late this year. The Palio and Uno rank No. 2 and No. 3 respectively in Brazil car sales. The new Uno is only for Latin America while the new range of Palio models could be built elsewhere.

China

Fiat plans to make the next-generation Linea subcompact sedan at its new, $630 million greenfield plant with Guangzhou Automobile in Fanyu, southern China. The plant is under construction and should be ready to start producing cars in late 2011. It is possible that Chrysler sedans and Jeep SUVs will be added to take the plant to its capacity of 220,000 units a year.

Chrysler

Fiat began taking over distribution of Chrysler Group vehicles in Europe this month. The changeover should be completed in 18 months. The April 21 presentation should explain how dealers for Chrysler Group and Fiat Group Automobiles will be combined in Europe and Latin America. Marchionne also is expected to detail how the Chrysler and Lancia brands will be combined in Europe. (Also see Lancia, below)

Dodge

Dodge will continue to sell its large rear-wheel Charger sedan and Challenger coupe in Europe under Fiat management. The same will be true for future version of the Viper sports car. Front-wheel-drive models such as the Caliber and Avenger will be withdrawn from Europe. In Europe, the Nitro large SUV will become a Fiat-brand model by the end of the year. The Journey crossover will be rebadged as a Fiat starting in spring 2011.

Fiat

Fiat is likely to announce that a Fiat-badged new small minivan will be sold in the United States. Insiders say that the new model, which is code-named L0, has a Fiat 500-inspired front end and side. The minivan will be produced instead of the long-wheelbase version of the 500 known as the Giardiniera. The Giardiniera project was delayed several times and killed last year.

Fiat will build two variants of the small minivan at its Mirafiori factory in Turin. The five-seat version replaces the Idea small minivan while the seven-seat variant succeeds the Multipla medium minivan. Both versions will be offered in Europe. It is likely that only the five-seat variant will be exported to North America, where it would complement the Fiat 500 range, which will include hatchback, cabriolet and high-performance Abarth models built in Mexico.

Other Fiat models that will be crucial to the five-year plan are the next Grande Punto/Punto Evo subcompact due in 2012 and Bravo compact hatchback due in 2013.

Soon after the strategic plan is presented, Fiat is expected to sign an agreement with its Italian unions to introduce an 18-shift workweek at its plant of Pomigliano d'Arco, southern Italy. The agreement takes effect in late 2011 when production of the Panda minicar moves to Italy from Fiat's factory in Tychy, Poland. The Panda had been Europe's best-selling minicar since 2004.

India

Fiat is evaluating a low-cost model for the Indian market. The car could be built in the joint-venture plant Fiat has with Tata Motors Ltd in Ranjangaon, in the Maharashtra state. Fiat has requests from India, Brazil and eastern Europe to produce low-cost models. The automaker is looking for use the information to coordinate a single, global project to optimize investments and scale.

Lancia

On April 21, Olivier Francois will outline how the Lancia and Chrysler brands will integrate their product portfolios in Europe. Francois is CEO of both automakers.

Earlier this year it appeared as though Lancias would be sold only in Italy while the rest of Europe would get Chrysler-badged Lancias.

Now company insiders say that the Lancia name will continue to appear throughout most of Europe on the Ypsilon subcompact, Musa small minivan and Delta compact hatchback. They said the Chrysler name will appear throughout most of Europe on models such as the replacement for the Chrysler Sebring mid-sized sedan and cabriolet, 300C large sedan and Voyager large minivan.

There could be two exceptions.

1. Italy – Cars from both brands are likely to wear the Lancia badge here because the country accounts for almost 90 percent of Lancia's global sales.

2. The UK – Cars from both brands may wear the Chrysler badge here because Lancia is not present in the market.

Jeep

The Jeep brand will continue to offer its entire range of products in Europe. Austrian contract manufacturer Magna Steyr will stop making the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander at its plant in Graz, Austria, by the middle of this year. The new Grand Cherokee, which makes its U.S. debut in June, will be shipped to Europe starting early next year. The Commander will not be replaced.

The Jeep brand will also play a key role in Fiat's joint ventures in China and Russia. Earlier this year Marchionne said: “Jeep is Chrysler's only brand which makes sense in the Russian market.”

MultiAir

Fiat is set to announce that it also will fit its fuel-saving, emissions-reducing MultiAir engine technology on diesels. MultiAir is a Fiat-patented electro-hydraulic valve actuation system that increases power and reduces emissions by about 10 percent on the company's gasoline engines.

Fiat will use the MultiAir technology to reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from diesels, which is a crucial part of meeting Euro 6 standards that take effect in 2015.

The first MultiAir diesel is expected to be the 1.6-liter unit currently used in models such as the Alfa MiTo, Fiat Bravo and Lancia Delta.

Chrysler Group will add MultiAir on its gasoline engines in late 2011.

Russia

Fiat announced its big expansions plans for Russia in February but has not identified the nine models it plans building in Naberezhnye Chelny, which is about 1,000km east of Moscow.

Nikolai Sobolev, a Sollers vice president, said the venture will build about 150,000 Jeeps a year, possibly the Patriot, Liberty, Wrangler and Grand Cherokee models. Fiat declined to confirm or deny Sobolev's comments.

The remaining 350,000 units a year are expected to be Fiat passenger cars such as the replacements for the Linea subcompact sedan and Bravo hatchback and sedan as well as a larger Chrysler-based mid-sized sedan.

Serbia

In April 2008, Fiat bought a 67 percent stake in Serbia's only automaker, Zastava Automobili, which is best known for having produced a low-cost, Fiat 127-based model called the Yugo.

MORE AT: http://www.autonews.com/article/20100414/COPY01/304149955/1198
 
See less See more
#2 · (Edited)
Chrysler

Fiat began taking over distribution of Chrysler Group vehicles in Europe this month. The changeover should be completed in 18 months. The April 21 presentation should explain how dealers for Chrysler Group and Fiat Group Automobiles will be combined in Europe and Latin America. Marchionne also is expected to detail how the Chrysler and Lancia brands will be combined in Europe. (Also see Lancia, below)

************​
Lancia

On April 21, Olivier Francois will outline how the Lancia and Chrysler brands will integrate their product portfolios in Europe. Francois is CEO of both automakers.

Earlier this year it appeared as though Lancias would be sold only in Italy while the rest of Europe would get Chrysler-badged Lancias.

Now company insiders say that the Lancia name will continue to appear throughout most of Europe on the Ypsilon subcompact, Musa small minivan and Delta compact hatchback. They said the Chrysler name will appear throughout most of Europe on models such as the replacement for the Chrysler Sebring mid-sized sedan and cabriolet, 300C large sedan and Voyager large minivan.

There could be two exceptions.

1. Italy – Cars from both brands are likely to wear the Lancia badge here because the country accounts for almost 90 percent of Lancia's global sales.

2. The UK – Cars from both brands may wear the Chrysler badge here because Lancia is not present in the market.
Well that may help clear things up ---- If it's really true.

A lot of people were looking forward to Lancia getting an expanded presence in Europe via Chrysler's model-lineup and dealer network. Under the original plan, the Chrysler brand would disappear from Europe and all Chrysler made models would be sold as Lancias. I was interested to see how this would go since Lancia has traditionally been the red-headed-stepchild of the Fiat Auto Group.

Then reports went the other way --- Chrysler would be retained in Europe; Lancia was going to be relegated to Italy only and the rest of Chrysler's lineup in Europe was going to take on Lancia's small cars and badge them as their own.

However, having a "Lancia sticks to premium small cars and Chrysler sticks to larger premium cars" may be the best of all worlds.

While Lancia may not be the best known brand outside of France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and other locales in Europe, it's a "domestic", home grown brand that is "accepted" as a purveyor of smaller-premium products in many markets. Chrysler, on the other hand, while probably not best know for having the "best quality", does have a small following for their larger, American minivans and sedans in Europe.

Arugably its better for each to stick to what they are known for in most markets. This avoids any failure in having Chrysler try and sell premium small cars (for which they are not know) and Lancia selling medium/large vehicles (for which they haven't had much success with). With funds rather tight, it may be better to NOT experiment and just let each brand continue to play to their strengths, but be sold on the same showroom floor. I don't know how a combined Chrysler-Lancia showroom would function, but it certainly has merit, IMHO.

I hope this plan succeeds and wish them well.
 
#10 ·
I was more intrigued with the rumors that newly acquired small Bertone factory, is going to build some niche high end vehicles off the Chrysler/Mercedes 300C platform.

They plan a Maserati, and a big Coupe and Convertible variant for Chrysler-Lancia. Probably using the Bi-turbo Pentastar and producing 440 Hp from the 3.0 liter DI Multiair Bi-turbo V6 listed inthe 5 Year Plan last November.

Just as the original "letter" car Chrysler 300 was born in '56 when it was the first 300 hp big Coupe and Convertible, with blistering peformance, this one is rumored to be the first 'letter car' of the new era, the "400 A".

From Bertone, think of it as custom bodied, Eldrorado and Eldorado Convertible; were there any such things around today.
 
#5 ·
Its quite possible, but I think that depends on adequately distinguishing models and how they are marketed and sold. I wish them luck.
Chrysler group is going to more than double it's annual global sales (1.3 to 2.8 million units) by 2014?!?
I think its a bit of a stretch too, but I think they are looking at it from the perspective of expanding the reach of each brand into markets they currently don't sell in. For example, Fiat has a huge presence in Latin America and Europe, but none North America outside of Mexico. Chrysler is great in North America and has a very limited presence in other global markets. Both companies are weak in China and Russia, while only Fiat has a marginal presence in India.

I think they are going to try and achieve this goal by filling the holes in each other's lineups and exploiting each other's distribution network. I could easily see some Dodge and Chrysler cars finally getting sold in earnestness in South America and South Africa, while Fiat will get a chance to sell some models in the US, etc.

Again, I think the numbers are overly ambitious, but certainly there will be more opportunties ---- IF and ONLY IF the products are really fully realized.
 
#6 ·
Lancia-Chrysler arrangement -> very very good, though I am not quite sure that Lancia-badged Chryslers would do themselves and either brand much favour. Italy is not only Lancia's, but also Chrysler's largest European market.

Even if the Lancias Ypsilon, Musa and Delta have sold much worse than they could have, which makes me wonder what is Olivier Francois still doing there, they'd be even worse off as Chryslers. Chrysler Ypsilon? PLEAAAAASE.


Alfa Romeo seems doomed - crossovers? All core models built in North America? There is little authenticity preserved in the brand IMHO, the MiTo is an anti-Alfa to me and Giulietta seems to follow in the footsteps. Abarth is arguably the Alfa of the 21st century... Perhaps one day Fiat will sell the brand to some investor together with Grugliasco a la Saab? Too bad the Milan factory and museum has been closed, so there isn't much authentic heritage to be preserved...


If the Dodge brand is to stay in global markets as all-out Americana, I see little point in rebadging the Nitro and Journey. Making them look like Fiats would cost a lot of money, not making them look like Fiats would make them look stupid and out of place. Actually, the introduction of products like Challenger and Charger, even in token quantities, could help reinvigorate the brand and draw attention to the ageing lower end of the lineup as well.


I love the new "Multipla" idea, and I love to hear that the Giardiniera was nixed. This makes an even stronger argument for a full-line Dodge brand, as ultra-cheap vehicles wouldn't mix well with the aspirational 500, Punto and Bravo. Too bad Lancia is having its footsteps stomped upon, the more reason for it to take over small crossover duties from Alfa...
 
#13 ·
Looks like a recipe for disaster. Too many brands, too few models per brand. High risk investments (Russia). A lot of plans and not enough capital to carry them out (cerebus). Too much capacity in Europe, not enough in other places (China). Trying to restore too many damaged brands (lancia, Alfa-Romeo, Chrysler). Irresponsibly creating two more brands for the US (Ram, Fiat) while keeping the other three. Oh and sales in Europe this year will tank as C4C programs end.

I'm much more confident in Ford's plans and feel very optimistic about GM but Chrysler product plans resemble junk bonds.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top