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FCA-Renault revival may hinge on willingness to cut Nissan stake

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Renault are looking for ways to resuscitate their collapsed merger plan and secure the approval of the French carmaker's alliance partner Nissan, according to several sources close to the companies. Nissan is poised to urge Renault to significantly reduce its 43.4% stake in the Japanese company in return for supporting a FCA-Renault tie-up, two people with knowledge of its thinking also told Reuters. It is still far from clear whether any concerted effort to revive the complex and politically fraught deal can succeed. FCA Chairman John Elkann abruptly withdrew his $35 billion merger offer in the early hours of June 6 after the French government, Renault's biggest shareholder, blocked a vote by its board and demanded more time to win Nissan's backing. Nissan representatives had said they would abstain. The failure, which FCA and Renault blamed squarely on the French government, deprived both companies of an opportunity to create the world's third-biggest carmaker with 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) in promised annual synergies. It also shone a harsh light on Renault's relations with Nissan, which have gone from frayed to fried since the November arrest of former alliance Chairman Carlos Ghosn, now awaiting trial in Japan on financial misconduct charges he denies. REVIVAL TALKS Italian-American FCA — whose brand stable encompasses Fiat runabouts, Jeep SUVs, RAM pickups, Alfa Romeo luxury cars and Maserati sports cars — has so far turned a deaf ear to suggestions by French officials that its merger proposal could be revisited. But since the breakdown, Elkann and his French counterpart Jean-Dominique Senard have had talks about reviving the plan that left the Renault chairman and his Chief Executive Thierry Bollore upbeat about that prospect, three alliance sources said. Renault and a spokesman for FCA declined to comment. One of Elkann's senior advisors on the Renault merger bid, Toby Myerson, was expected at Nissan headquarters in Yokohama on Monday for exploratory discussions with top management, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa is likely to attend. Myerson did not respond to a message from Reuters seeking comment. The meeting comes amid mounting strains that may preclude compromise, after Senard warned Saikawa that Renault was prepared to block key Nissan governance reforms in a dispute over board committees.

Canada offloading hundreds of nearly new cars it bought for G7 Summit

Are you looking for a deal on a lightly used 2018 Chrysler 300C? Do you feel like purchasing several at a time? Do you feel like visiting Canada? If all of these apply, you might be able to catch a pretty decent bargain. The Canadian government is offloading Chryslers and hundreds of other cars it bought for the G7 Summit held in Quebec in the summer, and the cars can be had quite cheaply. Originally, over 600 brand new cars were bought to ferry summit guests around Quebec, some of them in motorcades, necessitating the choice of very official-looking black on black 300C models with tinted windows. The RCMP said it turned out to be more affordable to buy the vehicles than to rent or lease them, but it still didn't come cheap for Canada. The bulk purchase price of all the cars exceeded $23 million CAD, and just $6.3 million has been recouped so far through selling 167 vehicles, as narcity.com reports. And there are still a bunch of cars for sale, posted on the GCSurplus.ca website. Take a look at the aforementioned Chryslers that were put up for auction yesterday: There are multiple 300Cs on offer with the starting bid of $25,343 Canadian and barely over 1,000 miles on the clock; the purchase price of a new, Canadian-spec 300C without motorcade modifications is over $42,000. Chevrolet Suburbans are less cheap, as the minimum bid on them is $53,428, but they appear nicely loaded with similarly low mileage and 4WD. There are also bulk deals, like a five-car pack of police-specification Dodge Chargers for a combined $133,000 if you can get them for the minimum bid. Other, less interesting but unquestionably fully serviceable vehicles include Toyota Siennas (109 were originally bought), Ford Escapes, Mitsubishi Outlanders and Dodge Journeys. You can browse the cars here. Related Video: News Source: Narcity.comImage Credit: GCsurplus.ca Weird Car News Chrysler Dodge Car Buying SUV Sedan

Next Jeep Wrangler to get hybrid option?

This may the year a Jeep hybrid is officially announced. Really. The Chrysler division may finally be making plans for its first gas-electric powertrain to help boost the group's fuel economy, says UK's Auto Express, citing Mike Manley, CEO of FCA's Jeep division. The guinea pig of sorts may be the Wrangler, which moved almost a quarter-million units in the US last year. The Wrangler could get a hybrid drivetrain by the 2017 model year, as Jeep executives look to maintain the model's feel and torque while boosting its fuel economy. The Wrangler gets a pretty paltry 18 miles per gallon combined out of its six-cylinder mill, so the bar's set pretty low. Of course, we've heard this talk before. In late 2013, Chrysler Asia-Pacific product planning manager Steve Bartoli told Australia's Drive that a Jeep hybrid was pretty much inevitable, though not much has been mentioned since. FCA could use all the help it can get in the fuel economy department. The group brought up the rear among automakers when it came to fuel efficiency, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in its EPA Trends report released last October. The FCA models combined for a 21.1 miles per gallon average for the 2014 model year, compared to the 24.2 mpg overall industry average. The group's only electric vehicle in the US is the low-volume Fiat 500e, though the company may start selling a plug-in hybrid version of its Chrysler Town & Country by the end of the year. Featured Gallery 2014 Jeep Wrangler Polar Edition View 9 Photos News Source: Auto Express Green Chrysler Jeep Fuel Efficiency Hybrid