Now that the deal to merge Fiat and Chrysler has been done, the question in people’s minds at the Detroit show was where would the new business entity be headquartered and what will it be called?
Chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne was not letting on however, saying only that all will be revealed after a board meeting on 29 January.
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“What I can tell you is that the name will have Fiat and Chrysler in it,” he joked.
“In any case, where the headquarters are is anachronistic in this day and age. Where the company is legally domiciled is almost irrelevant because our businesses all pay their taxes in the jurisdictions in which they operate. The most important thing is that we have access to fluid and efficient financial markets.”
That would suggest that the US has a large claim as the home base.
Marchionne added: “Wherever we choose it will have no impact on our manufacturing plants or the development of new vehicles.”
What about his own personal preference? “I live on an aeroplane, it makes no difference to me,” he quipped.
With the deal sealed, Marchionne said his immediate priorities are the continued ‘internationalisation’ of the Jeep brand, increasing its presence particularly in Asia and Latin America, and the development of the premium European brands Alfa Romeo and Lancia.
He added: “It’s important that we get Alfa back to where it once was and that will include bringing further models to the US from 2015. We probably need to resize our ambitions for Lancia but the premium market is very important, it seems to defy the economic conditions and make money for carmakers – I would like a piece of that.”
