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Post Marchionne, FCA still open to partnership deal<br>

Post Marchionne, FCA still open to partnership deal

New FCA head Mike Manley says he's open to a tie-up.


The late Sergio Marchionne made it clear that he wanted Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to partner with another automaker to reduce costs and boost profits. Unfortunately, Marchionne died before he could reach that goal, but his vision is still alive and well within the halls of FCA.

On the sidelines of the recent Geneva Motor Show, FCA head Mike Manley revealed that the company is still interested in a partnership with another automaker. No specific deal is on the table at the moment, but Manley says FCA would be receptive to offers.

"I want to find areas where cooperation -- whether it is partnerships, whether it's joint ventures or whether it is deeper levels of equity cooperation that makes sense for us and whoever that is -- [will] give better vehicles to our customers and a better return to our shareholders,” Manley told Automotive News. "I'm very open to it.”

France's PSA has recently shown interest in a tie-up with FCA. Such a deal would put PSA in a better position to compete with in-country rival Renault-Nissan, along with a number of other large global vehicle manufacturers.

In particular, PSA's Peugeot brand could benefit from a deal with FCA. Peugeot is eying a return to the U.S. market in 2026, but currently lacks the necessary dealer network to do so. A partnership with FCA could give the French brand access to a well-established U.S. retail network.

However, an FCA-PSA deal is far from a slam dunk. PSA is reportedly also considering partnership deals with General Motors and Jaguar Land Rover.