VW Considering Merger with Fiat

The final nail in the coffin!

If VAG merges with FIAT/Chrysler, I am done! Enough said.

ddorrer said:

The final nail in the coffin!
If VAG merges with FIAT/Chrysler, I am done! Enough said.

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Source please

2015vwgolfdiesel said:

Source please

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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-fiat-chrysler-idUSKBN16L1EL

Just said he was open to the idea and not outright rejecting it

nayr said:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-fiat-chrysler-idUSKBN16L1EL

Just said he was open to the idea and not outright rejecting it

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Thanks

Sounds about right

In my opinion

Fait really $uck$ X 10

If it goes forward one (me) thinks vw is really down on cash

All to avoid BK?

Hmmm...May actually be a GOOD thing if they merge...

VW said they wouldn't bring diesels into the US (because of the scandal) so if they merged, Chrysler could bring in the diesels under their name...

Chrysler could practically own the minivan market if they cold pop a VW diesel into a Gran Caravan.....THAT would be sweet!

Chrysler could be the diesel king....Cummins in the Pickups...And VW technology in other stuff....WOW.

I'm all for it....I think it would definitely be exciting!

Andrew

Andyinchville1 said:

Chrysler could practically own the minivan market if they cold pop a VW diesel into a Gran Caravan.....THAT would be sweet!

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The Routan was actually a Caravan rebadged so I don't think it's a far stretch to think that could happen.

A read of the article makes it sound more like Fiat is begging for someone to take them over more than they're looking for a merger.

Fiat itself is not so bad, but Chrysler? Mercedes choked on them so badly they paid to have someone else take it off their hands. It sounds to me that german oversight may not be a good thing when it comes to Chrysler.

Cheers,

PH

Powder Hound said:

Fiat itself is not so bad, but Chrysler? Mercedes choked on them so badly they paid to have someone else take it off their hands. It sounds to me that german oversight may not be a good thing when it comes to Chrysler.

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Daimler-Benz went into the merger with Chrysler primarily for Jeep and Chrysler's U.S. footprint. I don't think Daimler had any idea what they were walking into as far as Chrysler product development or marketing. Chrysler got the hindmost (very little tech transfer between the companies, not a lot of investment in quality or products). Daimler gained little by the association. Chrysler seems to be far better with FIAT.

A VW-FIAT-FCA merger doesn't do anything for me. Three companies with poor perceptions of/reputations for quality; a hodgepodge lineup that would take a decade to rationalize; and very few products to offer car buyers in developing countries. Just looks to me like a couple of dinosaurs hoping to get lucky.

Rumors run rampant, especially in the automotive business. I am sure they are talking, VW is always looking for expansion, and if you own them, they are an asset not competition as such.

I suspect the real draw is trucks, it is widely known that in the US truck profits are immense. Out here in the west it is very common to see 70K trucks being bought to be nothing more than personal transportation. Sure you might see a dirtbike, or a sled in one once in a while, but largely they are used as ego extensions, or compensation for other perceived inadequacies.
Out here Dodge is very popular because of Cummins bragging rights.

Fiat is a much larger company than most people realize and they sell a lot of cars worldwide, except here. With proper management and maybe a little engineering help they could really blossom.

Jeep is Jeep and will go on, merger or not. Just imagine a factory TDI being offered and I bet sales would increase. VW is kind of the Cummins of the smaller diesels where their reputation is huge. If only the scandal gets replaced by some other car company's newly discovered mistake and grabs the headlines.

VW already owns several car and truck companies that they don't really advertise their association with now, so if they buy them, some people wont even notice or care. Those that do know and care will be very much like our political parties today, among other things, where there will be extremes of love, or hate.

We might see VW pickups again.

Andyinchville1 said:

Hmmm...May actually be a GOOD thing if they merge...

Chrysler could practically own the minivan market if they cold pop a VW diesel into a Gran Caravan.....THAT would be sweet!

Andrew

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They still don't know if the Grand Caravan will live at all. Even if it does, i just don't see Mommy Minivan wanting a hard starting, stinky, noisy, polluting diesel engine in their minivan. Would they want one because of the fuel economy? Stop any random Mommy Minivan driver and ask her what she gets for fuel economy and chances are she will say that she fills up every certain number of days. In other words she doesn't know and doesn't care. Add in another $1000-$1500 just to get into the Diesel engine and she just isn't going to buy it.

whitedog said:

They still don't know if the Grand Caravan will live at all. Even if it does, i just don't see Mommy Minivan wanting a hard starting, stinky, noisy, polluting diesel engine in their minivan. Would they want one because of the fuel economy? Stop any random Mommy Minivan driver and ask her what she gets for fuel economy and chances are she will say that she fills up every certain number of days. In other words she doesn't know and doesn't care. Add in another $1000-$1500 just to get into the Diesel engine and she just isn't going to buy it.

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All things of the past really. Usually Mommy minivan wants an appliance. Unless she experiences an EPA mandated nose expensive emissions failure and has to pay for it out of pocket, or puts Gas in it, she could care less.

whitedog said:

They still don't know if the Grand Caravan will live at all. Even if it does, i just don't see Mommy Minivan wanting a hard starting, stinky, noisy, polluting diesel engine in their minivan. Would they want one because of the fuel economy? Stop any random Mommy Minivan driver and ask her what she gets for fuel economy and chances are she will say that she fills up every certain number of days. In other words she doesn't know and doesn't care. Add in another $1000-$1500 just to get into the Diesel engine and she just isn't going to buy it.

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True about Mommy.... BUT what about DADDY ?

Rollin Coal with the kiddies !....You gotta start em off right ! ;-)

Andyinchville1 said:

True about Mommy.... BUT what about DADDY ?

Rollin Coal with the kiddies !....You gotta start em off right ! ;-)

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I remember riding in my step Brothers minivan with his 8&10 year old kids and they were in the back singing, "Living after midnight. Rockin' to the dawn." Starting them out right with some Judas Priest. Rollin' ... Not so much IMHO.

I replaced one of my JSW TDIs witha 2016 Town and Country for the towing capability and the space for kids and grandkids.
Neither has a great reputation on quality.
FCA would benefit VW with more dealerships in more parts of the country.
VW would help FCA with financing and engineering new models.
VW and FCA might be a good fit.
The FCA CEO knows that his corporation must merge with another larger company to survive.
VW realized that any other Coumpany would have a better reputation wit Fiat perhas the least better

Either way, I say long live the VAG Juggernaut!

Both fail at engineering. One has a bunch of engineers right out of school designing components, and the other does all their engineering on the day after Oktoberfest.

There are synnergies between the companies but I think a merger is unlikely.

redbarron55 said:

I replaced one of my JSW TDIs witha 2016 Town and Country for the towing capability and the space for kids and grandkids.
Neither has a great reputation on quality.
FCA would benefit VW with more dealerships in more parts of the country.
VW would help FCA with financing and engineering new models.
VW and FCA might be a good fit.
The FCA CEO knows that his corporation must merge with another larger company to survive.
VW realized that any other Coumpany would have a better reputation wit Fiat perhas the least better

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AND VW could help with circumventing those pesky environmental regulations.


Oh... Wait.