Fiat Chrysler is already familiar with merger negotiations. Now the Italian-American car manufacturer speaks with the French Opel parent company PSA about a merger. "There are ongoing discussions aimed at creating one of the world's leading mobility groups," wrote FCA in a brief statement. There is nothing to add at the moment, it said. There was a similar message from PSA.
Fiat Chrysler wanted to connect already in the spring with the French manufacturer Renault and form the world's third largest car manufacturer. The talks failed, however. Even under the former CEO Sergio Marchionne Fiat Chrysler had repeatedly brought into the conversation as a merger partner, because a consolidation of the industry was inevitable. Marchionne failed in 2015 to warm General Motors for a merger.
At the Frankfurt Motor Show IAA in September Peugeot boss Carlos Tavares had rejected the idea of a merger with Fiat Chrysler still not necessary. The two companies are already partners in the commercial vehicle business. According to an insider, the PSA board on Wednesday to discuss a possible merger with Fiat Chrysler.
As the "Wall Street Journal" had reported, Fiat Chrysler and the Opel parent company PSA would be worth around 45 billion euros on the stock market.
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PSA also carries the traditional brands Peugeot and Citroën. Fiat Chrysler has the brands Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Lancia or Maserati under his roof. Automakers are under enormous pressure these days as they need to invest in autonomous cars and electromobility.
On the stock market rumors had already on Tuesday evening for strong price movement provided. The shares of FCA went on Tuesday with an increase of 7.5 percent from the US trade.
PSA boss Carlos Tavares is considered in the industry as a tough restructuring. Two years ago, PSA took over the German traditional manufacturer Opel, which had been in the red for a long time under the leadership of General Motors (GM). Optimized by PSA for efficiency, Opel is once again profitable but employs significantly fewer people. For example, the development center in Rüsselsheim was partly sold to the service provider Segula.
