FCAU - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

[MYDemaray]

Fiat's ad campaign ridiculed:http://jalopnik.com/fiats-new-ad-campaign-is-horrible-again-1592284471?utm_campaign=socialflow_jalopnik_twitter&utm_source=jalopnik_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

[LC]

For what it's worth, as a 27 y/o male, it made me laugh

 

I can haz turbo? lol, it's funny :)

[wbr]

Him not liking the ad campaign is irrelevant (he looks like over 40), he is not the target demographic. The trageted group are young people who look for an affordable car. I know way too many people who love these ads, because they are into internet memes.

[PLynchJr]

I actually thought they are pretty funny too. 

 

:)

[nikhil25]

Fiat Chrysler Vehicles Being Investigated for Ignition Problems

Problems Are Similar to Those That Stirred Major GM Recalls

 

http://online.wsj.com/articles/fiat-chrysler-vehicles-being-investigated-for-ignition-problems-1403104543

 

One investigation focuses on roughly 700,000, 2008 to 2010 model-year Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Journey vehicles. The other looks at 525,000 Jeep Commanders from 2006 and 2007, and Jeep Grand Cherokees from 2005 and 2006, the regulator said.

 

There have been numerous complaints related to vehicles in both investigations but only one record of an accident and no injuries, NHTSA records show.

[Palantir]

I think they are trying to sell it to mid 20s men....and not be seen as a "chick car".

[MYDemaray]

 

Fiat Chrysler Vehicles Being Investigated for Ignition Problems

Problems Are Similar to Those That Stirred Major GM Recalls

 

http://online.wsj.com/articles/fiat-chrysler-vehicles-being-investigated-for-ignition-problems-1403104543

 

[Palantir]

^Now that is worrying.

[peter1234]

Maserati Plots Doubling Dealer Network in Growth Chase

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-20/maserati-plots-doubling-dealer-network-in-growth-chase.html

[phil_Buffett]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-19/fiat-ceo-pitches-chrysler-cinderella-story-to-tap-u-s-investors.html

[muscleman]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-19/fiat-ceo-pitches-chrysler-cinderella-story-to-tap-u-s-investors.html

 

"A plan to expand Alfa Romeo requires the upscale brand to establish its credibility “one car at a time,” with the first new model now a year away, Marchionne said. "

I like that. Yes he is ambitious, but not crazy.

[Phaceliacapital]

Yes, and if it doesn't work they pull the plug.

[compounding]

Yes, and if it doesn't work they pull the plug.

 

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I think Sergio really wants and needs a car/brand in that segment (between mass and luxury, like Audi as PlanMaestro alluded to earlier in the thread) to be able to be a viable global player in a presumably consolidating industry 5-10 years or so from now. That being said, I agree it's not a binary decision either to go bust or win with the 2018 plan. And of course, Sergio isn't stupid and we all know how capable he is, I just think he probably wants that car/brand more than on a "if it doesn't work I'll ditch it" kind of level.

[Palantir]

I really doubt there is space for another brand. Audi isn't an "in between" brand but rather a premier luxury maker that competes with BMW and MB. Maserati is entering the higher end of that space and will slowly move lower with the Levante and Ghibli, and if they hit the 50k price point, that will squeeze Alfa Romeo's market.

 

But then again, if they keep Maserati to the very high end 75k+, there could be a solid niche.

[compounding]

I really doubt there is space for another brand. Audi isn't an "in between" brand but rather a premier luxury maker that competes with BMW and MB. Maserati is entering the higher end of that space and will slowly move lower with the Levante and Ghibli, and if they hit the 50k price point, that will squeeze Alfa Romeo's market.

 

But then again, if they keep Maserati to the very high end 75k+, there could be a solid niche.

 

I probably expressed myself unclearly. Audi, BMW and Mercedes I agree are competing. But the difference is these brands are selling 1.5-2m cars a year while Maserati sold 15k cars last year and Porsche 155k. Audi is "in between" Porsche and Volkswagen mass market brands and that is what I perceive Sergio is trying to do with Alfa. There is a difference between the premium brands and the luxury brands. Audi, BWM and Mercedes are premium, and Porsche and Maserati are luxury. Whatever you want to call each brand segment, it's hard to argue there is not a difference.

 

You will get some overlap with brands that sell some cars that are similar, but I'd rather have some overlap and cannibalizing than to miss out on a whole segment. Do you think Porsche has squeezed Audis market? It's certainly hard to tell from Audis reported sales.

 

[Palantir]

^fair enough, makes sense.

[fareastwarriors]

Fiat-Chrysler targets big US investor base

 

 

 

Fiat-Chrysler plans to sell Treasury shares and its holding in sister company CNH Industrial to American investors, as its chief executive looks to drum up US interest in both companies.

 

Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, which hopes to list in New York in October, plans to sell both its Treasury holding of around 3.5 per cent, and also its 2.5 per cent holding in CNH Industrial to US investors, according to Sergio Marchionne, chairman of CNH and chief executive of Fiat.

 

 

“We are going to get rid of those shares . . . We need to start creating liquidity in the US market,” Mr Marchionne said. “We want to create a large shareholder base in the US, because we see them as our home market.”

 

Selling all of the Treasury stock, and its shares in CNH, would raise around $820m for Fiat, at current prices, raising much-needed cash for the heavily indebted carmaker, as well as releasing stock to potential US investors.

 

The CNH shares could be sold before Fiat’s October listing, Mr Marchionne said.

 

“We do not have a large enough float in the US. We need shares to trade,” Mr Marchionne said. “What helps Chrysler is that it is a household name in the US.”

 

Fiat-Chrysler will work to convince US investors of the company’s “Cinderella” story, Mr Marchionne said in reference to Chrysler’s 2009 bankruptcy and subsequent revival under Fiat, but that it would take two to three years to get enough US investors behind the company.

 

Mr Marchionne separated Fiat, the carmaker, from Fiat Industrial, which makes tractors and heavy equipment, in 2011. Fiat Industrial subsequently merged with CNH, a North American competitor, while Fiat bought and merged with Chrysler, the US carmaker.

 

 

Following those mergers, which were seen as key to giving the Italian company enough scale to compete with bigger global rivals, both Fiat-Chrysler and CNH Industrial announced plans to be registered in the Netherlands, move their headquarters to the UK, and list in New York.

 

Moving both parts of Fiat outside Italy, where it was founded and is a cornerstone of the country’s industrial heritage, sparked anger among many Italians. But Mr Marchionne has argued that access to US capital markets was crucial to the future success of both companies.

 

Chrysler will continue to pay tax in the US following its restructuring under Fiat, Mr Marchionne said, despite suggestions that its move to a UK headquarters and Dutch holding company was driven by tax reasons.

 

“Chrysler pays taxes in the US like any other subsidiary of a foreign-controlled entity,” he said.

 

 

 

 

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/aded8020-f7c8-11e3-90fa-00144feabdc0.html#axzz35OgbbT2a

[sleepydragon]

I don't quite get this:

“We are going to get rid of those shares . . . We need to start creating liquidity in the US market,” Mr Marchionne said. “We want to create a large shareholder base in the US, because we see them as our home market.”

 

Why selling CNH shares to is creating shareholder base for new fiat stocks?

[sleepydragon]

It appears Maserasi is getting popular in China. My friend who's a somehow successful actress (not a super star but she has pretty good and stable roles), and who currently own a BMW, is getting a new car. She's considering Maserasi, landrover, and porche cayman. She posted all 3 cars on her personal weichat account, and asked all her acting friends which car she shall get. According to her,  the three cars are all about the same price. Most of her friends voted for maserasi.

[wachtwoord]

I don't quite get this:

“We are going to get rid of those shares . . . We need to start creating liquidity in the US market,” Mr Marchionne said. “We want to create a large shareholder base in the US, because we see them as our home market.”

 

Why selling CNH shares to is creating shareholder base for new fiat stocks?

 

Very good question, I found this very confusing too.

[investor-man]

I don't quite get this:

“We are going to get rid of those shares . . . We need to start creating liquidity in the US market,” Mr Marchionne said. “We want to create a large shareholder base in the US, because we see them as our home market.”

 

Why selling CNH shares to is creating shareholder base for new fiat stocks?

 

Very good question, I found this very confusing too.

 

Maybe they're going to start marketing them around to institutional investors? I'm not really concerned about treasury stock hitting the market with respect to shareholder value

[compounding]

I don't quite get this:

“We are going to get rid of those shares . . . We need to start creating liquidity in the US market,” Mr Marchionne said. “We want to create a large shareholder base in the US, because we see them as our home market.”

 

Why selling CNH shares to is creating shareholder base for new fiat stocks?

 

Very good question, I found this very confusing too.

 

I interpreted selling the CNH holdings just as a way to raise cash, not specifically to increase the float or create a larger shareholder base. Marchionne has talked about this before and is quoted on mentioning it a few pages back in this thread. That would be my guess, if I'm not missing something.

[Palantir]

It appears Maserasi is getting popular in China. My friend who's a somehow successful actress (not a super star but she has pretty good and stable roles), and who currently own a BMW, is getting a new car. She's considering Maserasi, landrover, and porche cayman. She posted all 3 cars on her personal weichat account, and asked all her acting friends which car she shall get. According to her,  the three cars are all about the same price. Most of her friends voted for maserasi.

 

Who? I want to know.... :)

[sleepydragon]

you won't know her .. she has been in this business longer than 15 years, starting as a child actor. very connected. but she never get top roles,  only secondary roles.

[sleepydragon]

Maserasi is now only 66k at entry level. There are so many people in China who has bmw. and then there are some people who drive ferrari and lamborghini in beijing. Maserrasi fit right in the middle.