Car Manufacturer News
FCA Gamble Pays Big
A few people might’ve been mad when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said it would stop making the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler 200, focusing on trucks and SUVs instead. We’re now seeing the fruits of that gamble as FCA profits have soared. In fact, the automaker should be free of debt by the end of 2018, according to an AutoBlog report.
This kind of progress means FCA might one day be able to compete with Ford and GM. In fact, with weak operating earnings over at the Blue Oval, thanks to things like the use of aluminum for the F-150, FCA might surpass Ford this year.
Sergio Marchionne, the current CEO, could go out on a high note. He hands over control of the company next year, with that position going to one of his acolytes inside FCA. Of course, that might mean no real shakeup in how the automaker does things, which right now may not be all bad.
What this news means is Marchionne is done playing matchmaker. He was on an aggressive push to pair FCA with just about every major automaker in the world, but was publicly shot down over and over. That embarrassing era is over, at least for now.
Steven has been writing about cars and other transportation issues worldwide for over ten years. His love for cars started long before he can remember, with Corvettes and 911s being his first car-crushes. Since then, he has owned many types of vehicles and has come to appreciate a wide variety of models, the diverse car culture groups, and the automotive industry in general.
