(Reuters) - Italian automaker Fiat SpA (FIA.MI) is open to expanding its newly announced partnership with Mazda Motor Corp (7261.T) and building the Japanese automaker's vehicles at Fiat and Chrysler Group LLC factories worldwide.
Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive of both Fiat and Chrysler, added that Fiat was open to additional partnerships to help lower the automaker's costs and expand its global reach.
"We will continue to look at other bilateral arrangements," Marchionne told reporters on the sidelines of an event at a Chrysler plant in Belvidere, Illinois. "We're totally open."
Separately, Marchionne said there was a "better than 50 percent chance" that Fiat would boost its stake in Chrysler by 3.3 percent in July.
Fiat and Mazda announced on Wednesday a deal to jointly develop their most famous sports cars, the Alfa Romeo Spider and MX-5, respectively. The joint venture does not include any equity tie-ups, but will help the two automakers cut costs.
Fiat has already built the small Fiat 500 in a joint venture with Ford Motor Co's (F.N) Ka; the Fiat Punto with General Motors Co's (GM.N) Opel Corsa; and the Fiat Seidici with a Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T) mini-SUV, sharing the investment costs of around 1 billion euros ($1.26 billion) needed to develop each new car.
Perrysburg Dodgeboy 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab SLT Cummins HO
2005 Keystone Cougar 304 BHS
Chrysler the only one to pay back 100% of their loans from the Government. *The Old Car Company" still owes 1.6 billion. Is that better Chuckles
Interesting. Mazda and Ford have had a very long relationship with each other, starting with the Ford Courier pickup, built by Mazda, in the 70's and early 80's. Since then, Ford and Mazda have been making clones of each other's vehicles. The Ranger/B-Series, the Explorer/Navajo, the Escape/whatever and some of their crossover SUV's are also clones of one another. Wonder if that relationship will continue, with Mazda also in bed with Fiat/Chrysler at the same time. That's a mighty big menaje-trois there. Or maybe it should be called an 'automotive orgy', of epic proportions....
SoCalDesertRider wrote: Interesting. Mazda and Ford have had a very long relationship with each other, starting with the Ford Courier pickup, built by Mazda, in the 70's and early 80's. Since then, Ford and Mazda have been making clones of each other's vehicles. The Ranger/B-Series, the Explorer/Navajo, the Escape/whatever and some of their crossover SUV's are also clones of one another. Wonder if that relationship will continue, with Mazda also in bed with Fiat/Chrysler at the same time. That's a mighty big menaje-trois there. Or maybe it should be called an 'automotive orgy', of epic proportions....
Mazda is in talks with Ford to stop joint production in the US by 2013, the Nikkei reports, paving the way for it to go the North American route alone as it goes about rebuilding its US business, which has stuttered of late. LINK
Those two have been on the rocks for some time now, looks like they are now done.
As Mazda Motor Corp. moves forward with plans to collaborate with Fiat SpA, the Japanese automaker is winding down production at Ford Motor Co.'s Flat Rock plant but will still keep an ownership stake there.
Mazda will move production of its Mazda6 sedan from Flat Rock to Japan later this summer, though it will continue to own 50 percent of the plant's operations. LINK
Wounder who will get the kids and who will pay the alimony and cild support?
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