[anjan_c2007]

Sergio Marchionne was re-elected to head Europe's main car lobbying group on 07/12/2012, the second time, for a one year term, at the helm of the 16 member, Brussels- based, European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).
He has now taken the Fiat versus Volkswagen battle to the US of A, where he has offered Volkswagen car owners (leased cars included) a special $ 1000 rebate (can we call that Sergio rebate?) should they decide to buy a new Chrysler or Fiat ! According to the Chrysler website, they need not even sell or swap their VW.
In July 2012, Marchionne was critical of VW creating a "bloodbath" in Europe, in a war of words over auto pricing. VW commands a 25 % market share in Europe, incidentally. Actually, the German manufacturers with their high end models are having a face-off with their rivals from France and Italy, who have lower margins on their budget (mid-range) cars.
According to Bloomberg News, "Volkswagen is Europe's largest carmaker, with its group 10- month market share rising 1.5 percentage points to 24.8 percent. That compares with a 0.7- point decline to 6.4 percent for Fiat. The ACEA is forecasting that European car sales this year will drop to the lowest level since 1995."
"The two automakers VW and Chrysler are among the top performers in the U.S. market this year. Combined sales of VW, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini brands rose 31 percent in the first 11 months, boosting VW’s group market share to 4 percent from 3.5 percent, according to Autodata. Chrysler Group sales rose 22 percent, lifting its share to 11.4 percent from 10.5 percent," according to Bloomberg News.

[anjan_c2007]

Sergio Marchionne again back in the news, for the superhuman speed with which he is moving to bulk up Chrysler Motors and Fiat. Armed with six Blackberrys and countless cigarettes that he smokes (Marlboro is his favourite brand), he deals with dozens of direct reports.



(CNN News picture)

The Auto industry has seen Lee Iacocca in the 1970's and 80's steering Chrysler out of the muck and filth that it had fallen into. Carl Ghosn steered Nissan from near bankruptcy in 2000. The second decade of this millennium belongs to the sweater clad, chain smoking, Sergio Marchionne, aged 61.According to him, Chrysler has ways to go before it broadens its car line beyond Jeeps and pickup trucks to become fully competitive. In Italy, Fiat's future remains perilous.

His acts in Turin and Auburn Hills, Michigan, where he has been touring lately, include (He was also on tour to Chicago and Venice):

- Fiat-Chrysler will build 280,000 small SUV's in the Turin plant in Italy.The production will start June 2014 and 150,000 will be branded as Jeep. It will be named Jeep B-SUV and the 130,000 Fiats will be branded as the 500X. These will be available in 2 and 4 wheel drive options.The strategy is to aim at the high end vehicle production that is more profit intensive.

- To tackle overcapacity in Fiat's European operations,he threatened to move out the Alfa Romeo production out of Italy, if the labour unions and politicians oppose plant closures due to overcapacity. According to him " Fiat intends to introduce 19 Italy-produced models through 2016, including nine Alfa Romeo-badged vehicles and six Maseratis, and the rights to make them will be a valuable prize."

- He has acquired 3.3 % Chrysler shares from VEBA, the medical benefits trust for Chrysler's retirees,now increasing Fiat's holding to 68.49 % in Chrysler. He is eyeing an increase in Fiat's stake to 75%, by July 2014. He's still fighting with VEBA over the price of the remaining shares. VEBA thinks they are worth $10.3 billion; Marchionne values these at $4.2 billion. The difference will be settled by a Delaware court.

- Marchionne played mind games with his Chinese partner, Guangzhou Automobile Group. Chrysler aims to produce more than 100,000 new Jeep models in China in 2014, and under government rules for foreign automakers, it is required to pair up with a domestic company to build them. Just in case GAG thought it had an inside track for the deal, Marchionne decided to rattle its cage. He quipped "In China we have a good partner, and we have the possibility to use a second one to develop Jeep," hinting that if GAG does not budge, he will most likely find another partner for the 100K new Jeep models to be made in China.

- Chrysler released its second-quarter financial report, showing a net revenue of $ 507 million -- a very impressive 16% increase over the second quarter of 2012 (YOY basis).In his own humble way, Marchionne thanks his employees (he calls them "colleagues" in the salutation) for their hard work and dedication. He acknowledges the gains that the company has made, but he doesn't dwell on those successes. Instead, he says that "The competition has noticed our resurgence, and our rivals keep getting better, so we need to get better at a much faster pace."

- The recall of the 1993-2004 Jeep Cherokee and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty for the defective, rear-placed petrol tanks (liable to cause fire) will cost Chrysler $ 151 million. A spanner in the works !

(processed from CNN News, Automotive News and theCarConnection)

[volkman10]

2013 Eurostar winner Sergio Marchionne.

The executives chosen as 2013 Automotive News Europe Eurostars achieved success by exceeding expectations.

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is this year's Eurostar winner for Group CEO.

http://europe.autonews.com/apps/pbcs...#axzz2dilF7q6v

[anjan_c2007]

Having been educated in Canada, the Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is committed to his company's operations in that country.The Chrysler CEO stunned government officials, union leaders and industry observers last month by stating that he is withdrawing the bid for government aid to the Chrysler's Windsor and Brampton plants.The CEO is reputed to carry five cellphones with him at all times.

“Canada can’t afford to be a guppy in shark-infested waters,” he warned at the auto show in Toronto.

More on this link:

http://www.thestar.com/business/2014...egotiator.html

[desdemona]

Marchionne is that rare thing: a ceo who actually is a crisis-manager, an entrepreneur, a visionary, a marketing whiz, a car guy with a keen sense of what car culture is like in different parts of the world, and a cosmopolitan who is as comforatble in a european environment as he is in the US or Latin America. All rolled into one. And the man slogs hard!

He isn't a celebrity CEO just because there is such a cultural type that people especially in the US love to love/hate a la Steve Jobs. He is the real thing, no hype.

What character-full brands he has under his stewardship: Fiat, ferrari, maserati, alfa romeo, chrysler, dodge, ram and jeep! not to mention Iveco, new Holland, Magneti Marelli etc And how successful he has already been shepherding them since the 2008 crisis!

He is nowhere near done, there's much more coming: a full scale relaunch of Alfa with many new models, Jeep's globalization, and an elaboration of the fiat brand under the panda and 500 sub-brands. There is no other auto CEO with such an end-to-end portfolio of brands, from the most premium consumer brand to the totally industrial one. More power to him! Provided global economic conditions allow him to fully do his imaginative but hard working stuff.

[volkman10]

Sergio Marchionne to Step Down At the End of 2018.

For starters, the guy is the most experienced CEO of any European car brand. Secondly, the 62-year-old is the new chief exec of the iconic Prancing Horse after Luca di Montezemolo resigned on September 10th due to an argument with Sergio Marchionne.
Looking back at Sergio's last 10 years as the chief executive officer of Fiat S.p.A., Marchionne did the impossible and tripled the group's profit threefold. Nevertheless, the hardest part is yet to come: by 2018, El Sergio expects to boost the net income fivefold, especially after the Fiat-Chrysler merger.

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/se...018-87493.html

[volkman10]

FCA seeking an alliance ? But who is interested?

Marchionne wants to complete mega deal before stepping down - 2019

Fiat - the world's seventh-largest carmaker -- which has one of the highest debt piles in the industry, barely breaks even in Europe and is expected to burn cash for years to revamp its neglected Alfa Romeo brand -- may struggle to find a partner.

Marchionne and Fiat's founding Agnelli family are showing particular interest in General Motors. GM is strong in Asia where FCA is weak and the U.S.
GM is keen to expand in Europe after its move to tie up with PSA failed.

But GM seem not interested in the deal.

FCA needs an alliance to address challenges including a gap in Asia, an ambitious turnaround plan and an over-reliance on a North American market that is nearing its peak. Its portfolio is also weak on electrification and connectivity services.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2015...ng-down-report

[ajmat]

Fiat is merely using accumulated cash from when they used to make cars to acquire and turnaround companies for profit. They are not really making enough money in Europe. They lost out in Eastern Europe, falling behind in South America. Chrysler is providing them with the sustenance.

Sounds almost like Tata and JLR!

[volkman10]

Marchionne approached GM about a merger, but was rebuffed!

As part of his quest for a mega merger, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles boss Sergio Marchionne sent an email to General Motors CEO Mary Barra in March suggesting combining the automakers but was rebuffed

Reuters first reported on April 13 that Marchionne, who leads the world's seventh-largest carmaker, was contemplating a super merger, possibly in the United States, to plug his company's weaknesses and cement his legacy before stepping down in early 2019.

The New York Times said the idea of a merger did not interest Barra or any other GM executives

FCA has one of the highest debt levels in the industry and barely breaks even in Europe. Analysts say it is expected to burn cash for years to revamp its neglected Alfa Romeo brand, and may struggle to find a partner.

http://europe.autonews.com/article/2...mail-ane-daily

[volkman10]

Fiat in trouble.

Fiat Chrysler CEO asks investors for help persuading GM to merge.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne is reaching out to hedge funds and activist investors to help persuade General Motors Co to agree to a merger

Marchionne has been emboldened by recent successes of activist investors at GM and sees them as a means to consolidate the auto industry

http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes...e-wsj/47594536

[reverse_gear]

Marchionne Embarks on Final Mission Impossible at Fiat Chrysler

After calling off efforts to force General Motors Co. into a merger, the 63-year-old CEO has made implementing a 48 billion-euro investment and restructuring plan his final job at the company he’s been running since 2004. The targets he’s laid out -- including increasing annual deliveries by about 2.4 million vehicles, more than BMW AG sells in a year -- appear out of touch with reality, especially with former growth markets like China, Brazil and Russia struggling.

IHS Automotive forecasts modest growth for Fiat Chrysler, with sales edging up to about 5 million vehicles in 2018. That’s a far cry from Marchionne’s target of 7 million. A similar miss is expected on the goal of generating 4.7 billion euros to 5.5 billion euros in profit. Adjusted net income is projected at 3.28 billion euros in 2018, according to the average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. They also don’t expect the carmaker to be debt-free in three years.

Still, Marchionne could have another trick up his sleeve and has said he’s in talks with technology companies on a partnership. While he hasn’t discussed the nature of cooperation under discussion, Google and Apple Inc. are expected to need manufacturing partners for their self-driving vehicles.

Link

[anjan_c2007]

Sergio Marchionne has taken over as the CEO of Ferrari today according to these news reports:

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/2/115...-fiat-chrysler


http://www.wsj.com/articles/ferrari-...ire-1462199596


Team-BHP thread on the same : link

[volkman10]

Sergio Marchionne tops the list in the annual pay packages when compared to his peers!



Source:Forbes

[anjan_c2007]

Sergio Marchionne has to finally hang his boots in 2019. He has been the CEO of Fiat - Chrysler for nearly 15 years now. The high scores he has obtained are for his acumen to multiply the wealth of the companies under his tutelage and to better the lives of hundreds of thousands of families across the world, with his team. This link places him in the league of Henry Ford, Billy Durant, Karl Benz and Kchiiro Toyoda as far as the legacy of wealth creation in the automotive industry is concerned. A former tax accountant and a philosophy student finally landing into the automotive world, Sergio Marchionne has reached the pinnacle of his career as of now, though.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2018...onne-final-lap

[anjan_c2007]

One of the most able CEO's on the international scene Mr Sergio Marchionne had to prematurely hang his boots due to a sudden shoulder injury and hospitalization, straight into the ICU, followed by a surgery. He is unlikely to recover soon as per the news reports. He was "one of the greatest ... commander-in-chiefs" in the history of the industry, Evercore ISI analyst George Galliers wrote Monday. Marchionne was also known for his candid, colorful, intellectual and occasionally fiery responses to questions from journalists and analysts.

Its virtually the end of a era for the automobile industry !

He saved Chrysler from bankruptcy in 2009 and his innings has been chronicled in this link:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...fca/818668002/

About the new CEO Mike Manley, Fiat Chrysler, who headed the Jeep and Ram brands. He is 54 and is British born.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/22/b...ne-manley.html