I guess the biggest news of the week would have to be newly merged Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s announcement – mostly to investors – of plans for world domination. Which only took, oh, about 12 hours. And, perhaps due to main target audience, it didn’t apparently occur to anyone in either company’s media department to knock out a quick summary of What We Hope. So we did.
First off, sporty SRTs to be Dodge only. Second, first quarter results. A whacking great net loss though some of that was due to problems in South America where Fiat is heavily exposed and the final costs of the merger. Eye trading profit – a better measure of bashing metal and selling the results – and it was pretty much flat.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Over the next five years, Alfa, Chrysler and Jeep will get the most attention with Jeep production becoming much more widespread. And so, through his tears at the apparent all-but-end of Lancia, except in Italy, we put Glenn Brooks to work analysing the product plans in more detail.
Next came confirmation of London as the new FCA HQ – neutral territory compared with Detroit or Milan and also tax-friendly – which has led to a lot of media buzz today over how much time certain execs will actually spend there.
It’s been largely conceded this week that Marchionne has delivered on the strategy of previously announced plans, if not the volume targets, so the latest plans will be monitored – by media and analysts alike – with interest. The best of British to FCA.
Japan’s weak yen helped Toyota to almost double its full year net profit – is that the clink of sake glasses in the distance? Another good year is forecast, too.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataThere were also more good sets of results – accumulated here.
Encouraging western Europe car sales too; I hope April’s slump in Germany is but a hiccup.
Have a nice weekend.
Graeme Roberts, Deputy Editor, just-auto.com
