Fuente: Detroit Free Press
Noticia completa: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2018/05/30/sergio-marchionne-fiat-chrysler/651402002/
The vision for a post-Marchionne Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and what that means for Michigan should become significantly clearer starting Friday.
The Italian-American automaker will lay out its plans for the next five years in a ritual that is highly unusual in the automotive industry, where road maps for the future are not typically on full display.
CEO Sergio Marchionne, who plans to retire after this year, has said not to expect an announcement on his successor at the event, but Marchionne and his executives should provide plenty of insight on the future of a company with more than 60,000 employees in the U.S. alone.
It’s a process that John McElroy, an expert on the auto industry and host of “Autoline,” called “very gutsy” because the company typically provides significant details. The company will host a full day of presentations for journalists and analysts from around the world at its proving grounds in Balocco, Italy, in an event known as Capital Markets Day.
What’s at stake as FCA plots its future is huge, not just for investors, but for the company’s employees. The company has become a solid financial performer both in terms of profits and share price, is on pace to eliminate its industrial debt and could outperform Ford this year.
But, as McElroy noted, pressure to sell the company remains, in part because of the demands of an expected electrified and autonomous future.
“From a financial standpoint, it’s looking healthier and healthier all the time, but right around the corner they’ve got to spend billions,” McElroy said.
Hints of change in reports ahead of the Friday event have focused so far mostly on Europe, where the company is believed to be planning to shift production at plants in Italy and Poland. Bloomberg, for instance, reported that the company would produce a small Jeep SUV in Pomigliano and shift the Panda subcompact to Poland. That report also noted other changes to bolster the production of premium vehicles in higher-wage areas of Europe, such as by adding another Maserati SUV in addition to the Levante at a plant in Turin.
But for FCA’s North American employees, the real interest is in what will happen closer to home.
“What becomes of all the operations that are run out of Auburn Hills? I just hope we don’t see the local operations shortchanged,” McElroy said. North America «is the real heart of the operation; this is where they make all their money. I want to see the American operations well-funded from a product, manufacturing, marketing and retail basis.”
McElroy said the company has to look out for the health of the entire operation, but he hopes that does not ultimately mean southeast Michigan suffers in the process.
The company’s early gamble to focus on SUV and truck production in the U.S., killing off vehicles like the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200, appears prescient, as a thirst for larger vehicles has overshadowed sedan sales. Ford’s decision to stop selling most of its own sedan models in the U.S. comes almost two years after FCA’s announcement.
A massive reworking of FCA’s manufacturing operations in the U.S. has finally provided the capacity to build more Wranglers in Toledo, and the company will soon be showing off a Jeep truck and has plans to produce a Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer in the next few years. FCA should be well-positioned to take advantage of a market geared toward its offerings, but it will contend with a flood of competing SUVs.
McElroy noted that the company is more exposed than others should gas prices spike and sour consumers’ SUV lovefest.
The company has staked much of its future global growth on the strength of the iconic American Jeep brand, which is now producing vehicles such as the Compass SUV at plants in Mexico, China, Brazil and India.
While the position of both Jeep and Ram, which launched a new 1500 pickup this year, are strong, other brands have not seen the same level of attention. McElroy said he believes both Dodge and Chrysler have been starved to feed Alfa Romeo and Maserati.
Alfa Romeo has sold well in the U.S. since its reintroduction into the market, but it remains a small brand by volume, with 7,639 in sales for this year through April. The Stelvio SUV has been widely praised for its looks and performance since its arrival in the U.S. last year, but analysts have said that the brand needs more offerings, particularly crossovers.
Alfa’s numbers now eclipse the namesake Fiat brand, which has struggled mightily in the U.S. in recent years. U.S. sales for FCA’s brands made abroad could all suffer, however, in the event tariffs become a reality.
As for Dodge, the company garnered considerable attention last year for the 840-horsepower Challenger SRT Demon, which likely boosted interest in other Dodge products even though it had a limited production run.
The company is promising a new look for the Dodge Charger in 2019, including a grille design, which “extends the sinister-looking front end.” It’s unclear whether any truly new Dodge vehicles are in the works, although some have speculated that the Viper could be coming back.
McElroy said FCA is missing an opportunity with the Dodge Journey, which he described as “old as the hills.” A redesigned Journey could be a solid seller for the company, he said.
The Chrysler lineup, which is basically limited to two vehicles — the 300 sedan and Pacifica minivan, is also in desperate need of more offerings, McElroy said. The Pacifica has continued to sell for Chrysler, but for a brand that marked its 90th anniversary in 2015, more will be needed to ensure a solid future.