Fiat could look for a new Chinese partner to help it manufacture Jeep locally in 2014, chief executive Sergio Marchionne said at the weekend.
“In China we have a good partner, and we have the possibility to use a second one to develop Jeep,” he told Reuters.
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Chrysler has a joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile making Fiat cars including a sedan derivative of the Dodge Dart called the Viaggio. Chrysler wants to produce over 100,000 new Jeep models in China, in a move seen as key to Fiat’s goal of selling 300,000 vehicles annually in China by next year.
Jeep chief Michael Manley said in April that the GAC JV was in contention to make Jeeps but nothing firm had been decided.
Marchionne told Reuters Chrysler was not currently in talks with a partner for Jeep but added that “there have been a number of expressions of interest.”
Manley had indicated the redesigned Cherokee would be the likely first model.
