The key to Chrysler LLC remaining as one of the Detroit automakers could turn out to be the rest of the world. Reuters reports that Chrysler has been chatting up both Tata Motors and Fiat as a means of survival. A deal with Tata might see the evergreen Jeep Wrangler being proffered in India by Tata, as well as the possibility of an electric vehicle partnership. The EV deal might be centered around an electron-motivated version of Tata's Ace, and those talks are running concurrently with whatever possible Jeep discussions are underway.
A little further west of Tata, in Italy, Fiat is reportedly considering leasing some of Chrysler's manufacturing capacity. A deal that puts business in Chrysler plants would certainly help rustle up some cash, while it would be mutually beneficial for Fiat as it contemplates a return to the North American market. Nobody is commenting officially, but we're likely to continue to see creative deals abound as everyone tries to keep their heads above water.
The jury in Turin might still be out on whether to export the miniscule Fiat 500 to North America, but one adventurer got tired of waiting and took things into his own hands. Jim Magill shipped a Cinquecento from Northern Ireland to New York and embarked immediately upon a trek across the United States. Magil says the car garnered an inordinate amount of attention in Manhattan before they hit the road for Washington, across the heartland through Chicago and De Moines, running through Salt Lake City and Oregon before swinging down through San Francisco, the Bonneville salt flats, Death Valley, Las Vegas and finally... whew... Los Angeles. Although Jim and his co-driver Alan have now returned across the Atlantic, the car is staying behind to make appearances in Pebble Beach at the concours and the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit. Check out the images in the gallery below to see the 500's foray into and across the United States.
With Fiat preparing to bring some of its products to the American market, local government leaders have been hard at work courting CEO Sergio Marchionne to produce vehicles in their state or province. Marchionne declared in March that with the weak American dollar, his company would have to strongly consider local production for sales in North America.
Among those politicians who have reached out to Fiat, congressional representatives from the states of Kentucky and Georgia have met with executives from the Italian auto giant to discuss the possibility of opening plants in their districts. However the premier of Ontario seemed to take it one step further by flying to Italy to meet with Marchionne, who himself was raised in the same Canadian province. After General Motors announced the closure of two plants in the past couple of months, Ontario is keen to find tenants for the abandoned facilities. Marchionne, meanwhile, has expressed interest in producing in Mexico, allowing Fiat to extend its operations in Latin America northward to support its foray into the North American market.
As for distribution, while Fiat already networks established for its Case New Holland agricultural equipment division, as well as for its top-end brands Ferrari and Maserati. However Fiat is likely to set up separate distribution channels for Alfa Romeo and, if and when the day comes, the Fiat 500.
