The last major FCA merger rumor circulated way back in May, which might mean that today sets a record for the longest time between FCA merger rumors.

With FCA’s finances steadily improving, Alfa Romeo garnering good reviews, the factory shuffle bearing fruit , and new engines on the way , pundits seem to have laid the constant talk of rumors to one side — especially since Sergio Marchionne tried to discourage them back in January.


FCA stock (FCAU) hit $11.95 (it’s now close at $11.93), even though the auto industry’s US sales are expected to decline over the coming year. FCA, though, has been profiting from the public’s rapid shift from compact/midsize sedans to crossovers.

Sergio Marchionne has not been seen much lately, leaving fewer utterances to be freed from context  (though some would say that’s a sign, too, because executives of companies about to merge or acquire/be acquired have strict limits on what they can say).

Sergio Marchionne said the company would go its own way at least through its “net-debt-free” point in, if all goes well, 2018.  He is due to retire around April 2019 — leaving reporters with much less to write about.