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China-FCA merger could be a win-win for everyone but politicians

NEW YORK — Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne has said the car industry needs to come together, cut costs and stop incinerating capital. So far, his words have mostly fallen on deaf ears among competitors in Europe and North America. But it appears Marchionne has finally found a receptive audience — in China. FCA shares soared Monday after trade publication Automotive News reported the $18 billion Italian-American conglomerate controlled by the Agnelli family rebuffed a takeover from an unidentified carmaker from the Chinese mainland. As ugly as the politics of such a combination may appear at first blush, a transaction could stack up industrially, and perhaps even financially. A Sino-U.S.-European merger would create the first truly global auto group. That could push consolidation to the next level elsewhere. Moreover, China is the world's top market for the SUVs that Jeep effectively invented, so it might benefit FCA financially. A combo would certainly help upgrade the domestic manufacturer; Chinese carmakers have gotten better at making cars, but struggle to build global brands, and they need to develop export markets. Though frivolous overseas shopping excursions by Chinese enterprises are being reined in by Beijing, acquisitions that support the modernization and transformation of strategic industries still receive support, and the government considers the automotive industry to be strategic. A purchase of FCA by Guangzhou Automobile, Great Wall or Dongfeng Motors would probably get the same stamp of approval ChemChina was given for its $43 billion takeover of Syngenta. What's standing in the way? Apart from price (Automotive News said FCA's board deemed the offer insufficient) there's the not-insignificant matter of politics. Even as FCA shares soared, President Donald Trump interrupted his vacation to instruct the U.S. Trade Representative to look into whether to investigate China's trade policies on intellectual property. Seeing storied Detroit brands like Jeep, Chrysler, Ram and Dodge handed off to a Chinese company would provoke howls among Trump's economic-nationalist supporters. It might not play well in Italy, either, to see Alfa Romeo and Maserati answering to Wuhan instead of Turin — though Automotive News said they might be spun off separately. Yet, as Morgan Stanley observes, "cars don't ship across oceans easily," and political considerations increasingly demand local manufacture of valuable products.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio CUV to debut at 2016 LA Auto Show

America loves crossovers. Alfa Romeo wants to succeed in America. So it only makes sense that the troubled Italian automaker will introduce its first ever CUV on American soil. That's per a report from Australia's Motoring, which claims we'll clap eyes on the Stelvio for the first time this November in Los Angeles. The news was announced by Alfa Romeo and Maserati boss Harald Wester, who said it'd be a late fall debut, according to Motoring. That almost certainly means the mid-November to-do in LA. "We will have an additional product in the [CUV] segment with the new Alfa, to be presented in late Autumn this year, and for the time being there are no plans for Maserati to further extend our range downwards in the more compact SUV segment," Wester told Motoring. The Stelvio – the name was confirmed by FCA boss Sergio Marchionne last month and comes from the iconic Italian pass and the snaking road attached to it – will be based on the Giulia's rear-wheel-drive platform, and will be offered in both two- and four-wheel drive versions. Like the Giulia, there will be both four- and six-cylinder options, which according to the Aussies will include a high-performance Quadrifoglio Verde model. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo bringing 4C Spider to Geneva

With the Geneva Motor Show fast approaching, we're receiving news left, right and center of various debuts lined up. And the latest bit of intel suggests that Alfa Romeo has prepared an open-top version of the 4C for debut at the Swiss expo. The 4C Spider is tipped to incorporate several changes over the fixed-roof coupe version. For one, it'll have a removable roof panel (Porsche's people might call it a "Targa") along with a pair of carbon-fiber roll hoops affixed behind the bucket seats. That'll give the Alfa 4C a wind-in-your-hair driving experience to go with its high-output 1.75-liter turbo four. We don't know at this point if the car will debut in concept or production form, but word from Italy has it that the 4C Spider will also feature a different headlight design (in place of the controversial fly-eye headlamp units on the coupe) and, of course, a different set of wheels. Featured Gallery 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C View 60 Photos News Source: 0-100.it Geneva Motor Show Alfa Romeo Convertible Performance 2014 Geneva Motor Show alfa romeo 4c alfa romeo 4c spider