One year after outlining a five-year, $50 billion expansion plan, Fiat-Chrysler is reportedly delaying about a dozen model launches across several brands, according to suppliers leaking info to Reuters.
Some of the PowerPoint slides detailing specific refreshes and introductions during the company’s investor conference last May are no longer valid, if Reuters‘ sources are to be believed. Here are some of the affected models and their latest best-known launch estimates (original dates in parentheses):
Reuters also claims that Alfa Romeo “may be getting more models on a faster schedule” (doubtful, considering Alfa revealed two new engines without any cars to put them in) and that “at least 12″ FCA models that have been delayed. We’re not sure if there’s any reason to suspect trouble at this point. It’s normal for automakers to alter their timing by months at a time, and it only looks surprising because automakers typically don’t announce their complete plans all at once the way FCA did last year. As for suppliers, they only get paid when automakers follow up with their contracts, and for all we know the leaks could be an indirect nudge at CEO Sergio Marchionne to make up his mind.
Then there’s the rumors that Marchionne wants to merge FCA with a competitor, such as Volkswagen, General Motors, and Tesla, in which case a slowdown in new-program spending would fluff up the company’s bottom line, possibly making it more attractive. He’s said to be seeking some sort of dance partner, whether it’s a full-on merger or just an alliance, but he hasn’t yet won over any suitors. Our bet is that FCA US LLC is going to stay as it is, (stuck with that clerical name on their business cards), and that the company’s most popular models will not age into obsolescence like they did during the dark days of Cerberus.
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