Finally this week, the new Chrysler came into being, not withstanding a little last-minute legal niggle from a state pension fund manager, whose concerns were brushed aside.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Giving some idea of the work that went into the deal behind the scenes, Chrysler soon announced a new structure and we heard from an analyst who doubted Fiat would benefit much from this latest autobiz alliance.
Others, meanwhile, have been eyeing the hardly-set-in-stone Magna/GM Europe deal with one analyst questioning the numbers and the German government suggesting the bidding may not be over yet.
For years, auto engineers have worked on making cars as quiet as possible; now Lotus is working on putting some noise back, where appropriate.
This week, we took a a look at a market you don’t often hear about, Nigeria, which, if memory serves, was the last country in the world to build the famed Peugeot 504. Robust Peugeots of yore seem to survive for ever in that harsh continent but not, it apears, the local factory for much longer.
And we also reported from an auto industry rarity right now – a car plant working almost at capacity, on two shifts, with overtime, and temps still on the payroll.
Finally, VW’s come up with yet another strange name for a product some unkind people suggested this week was the last thing the market needs right now – another big pickup. We’ll take their word for the true meaning of ‘Amarok’ but here in the UK wags have already dubbed it the ‘Anorak’.
Have a nice weekend.
Graeme Roberts
Deputy Editor
just-auto.com
