Fiat has been in contact with Mercedes-Benz about a possible alliance, as it has had with other automakers, Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne said on Thursday.

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“We have discussions open with auto companies,” he told Reuters while attending a ceremony at a university.


Marchionne reportedly said the board might discuss alliances at its next meeting on 24 October, adding that he expected at least one alliance by the end of the year.


According to the news agency, he also said Fiat’s third-quarter results were in line with expectations, and left open the possibility of raising the EUR2.7bn ($US3.8bn) group trading profit target for the year.


“The commitment is to review them, or raise them or leave them as they are. We are not lowering anything,” he reportedly said of the company’s targets.

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Reuters noted that speculation has swirled for weeks that Daimler could seek a partner to work on the next generation of Mercedes-Benz A-Class and B-Class compact cars, whose importance is being highlighted by the debate on cars’ contribution to global warming.


BMW and PSA Peugeot Citroen (PEUP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) have also been mentioned as possible allies for Daimler to develop small car platforms or new engines, the news agency said, adding that Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport magazine earlier this week added Fiat to the list of possible contenders for an alliance.


Daimler declined to comment directly on the report but a spokesman was quoted on Wednesday as saying the automaker was ready in principle to work with other carmakers on projects of mutual interest.