[jazz77]

Wow the change in FIAT-architecture vehicles in Chrysler is dramatic. They're almost all gone! Weren't some just months from being revealed? That's quite a shift in strategy.

No actually if you read better the different color doesn't refer to the architecture (I think the very large majority of the future vehicles you see in the chart will be based on a Fiat architecture), it actually refers to the production site. White is in Europe, dark is in NAFTA.

 

[jazz77]

*By pushback, the Plan still shows a boatload (or container ship) full of imported products for 2015 and 2016, stacked up and ready to come.
That likely is more a reflection of problems in Europe than demand in the US.

Actually it is a reflection of the fact that Fiat needs to expand its lineup in NA and so does Alfa Romeo (well AR has to debut yet in NA). Fiats and Alfas are produced in Europe because that's where they sell the most.

It's as simple as that, if I were to believe that Marchionne is going to build all those cars knowing that he will lose a lot of money I'd have to conclude that the future of Chrysler is in serious danger and that he's a terrible manager.


P.S= Abarths are considered on their own in the chart, so I guess when you see 6 cars in 2015 it possibly means 3 Fiats and 3 correspondent Abarths.

 

[jazz77]

And thus my point, sales in Europe are still plunging downward and sales of Fiats in the US, although weak, could end up supporting the factories and workers in Italy.
It not that it's a brilliant strategy, it's simply the best one left available.
And many models do not automatically translate into " all those cars". They may be less than 10,000 units per year, each, unless they start selling.
It took the 500 nearly two years to reach and stay above 3,000 units per month.
Regardless, we won't know for sure, until several more years.

My point is that if you make money with this "only one left available" strategy then it is actually a brilliant strategy. He does it for the workers in Italy? Whichever is the reason if you end up making money you are doing it primarily for the company.

Plus I don't get your point on the 500. It only sold 45k in US? We are talking about a very small segment in terms of sales and it still manages to top it and compete with Mini after just 2 years of its debut. It should be taken as sign of hope for the bigger cars coming, not the opposite.

 

[jazz77]

Frankly these cars might do better if they were sold as Fiats and Alfa's.

Perhaps, but building small cars doesn't mean you take something away from the other core segments. Little by little you try to cover all the market and to build a good reputation in the compact segment.

Besides that, if you don't share technology and platforms you can't achieve any synergy which car makers such as Chrysler and Fiat are in desperate need of.