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FCA and iPhone maker plan Chinese electric vehicle joint venture

MILAN — Italian American automaker Fiat Chrysler and Taiwan's Hon Hai plan to set up a joint venture to manufacture electric vehicles and to engage in the business of wirelessly connected vehicles, Hon Hai said on Thursday. Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and Hon Hai are negotiating to set up a 50-50 joint venture, Hon Hai said in a statement. It added Hon Hai would hold its 50% share both directly and indirectly and that its direct shareholding would not exceed 40%. Hon Hai is the parent of Foxconn, the Chinese assembler of Apple iPhones. FCA last month reached a binding agreement for a $50 billion tie-up with France's PSA that will create the world's No. 4 carmaker. The joint venture with Hon Hai will produce vehicles for the Chinese market, but many details of the accord are still to be worked out, one source close to the matter said, adding that a final deal was expected to be signed in the coming months. Foxconn has been investing heavily in a variety of future transportation ventures for several years, including Didi Chuxing, the Chinese ride services giant, and Chinese electric vehicle startups Byton and Xpeng. Foxconn also has invested in Chinese battery giant CATL and a variety of other mostly Chinese transportation tech start-ups. FCA will launch its first full-electric model - the 500 small car - this year. Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari in Milan, additional reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Dodge Grand Caravan to live in fleets through 2017

After a hard-working career of hauling around families for decades, the Dodge Grand Caravan name was set to retire in 2016 under FCA's five-year plan for the US. The decision would have put all of the automaker's focus behind the next-generation Chrysler Town & Country, but that original strategy might have changed. Now, Dodge's minivan may have to work just a few more years before it can finally shuffle off. There are set to be 2016 and 2017 model year examples of the current Grand Caravan, according to an internal FCA production document obtained by Automotive News. This report suggests no changes in the minivan between those two years, and there's no mention of the company's intentions deeper into the future. "While we've announced the Grand Caravan will eventually be the minivan that goes away, we're not going into more detail at this time," a Dodge spokesperson said to AN. For the next Town & Country, production would start in Windsor, Ontario, in late February 2016. This document also suggests a brief run of 2016 Chrysler minivans based on the current model from August 2015 until February 2016. Automotive News speculates that the reprieve for the Grand Caravan could allow that model to focus on fleets and the Canadian market while the new Town and Country gets up and running. The latest generation T&C will reportedly debut at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show and will possibly carry a higher price to befit a vehicle with a more modern platform and improved tech.

Fiat seeking autonomous partnerships with Uber and Amazon

If Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne can't find another automaker to partner with, he'll have to look elsewhere. Like, outside the traditional automotive industry entirely, if recent reports are to be believed. According to Bloomberg and Business Insider, Fiat is pursuing relationships with Uber and Amazon for self-driving vehicles. This news comes shortly after FCA announced an official tie-up with Google to turn 100 Chrysler Pacifica minivans into autonomobiles. Uber might want to venture into self-driven vehicles for its ride-hailing service, cutting out the expense of human drivers. For its part, Amazon could use autonomous vehicles for deliveries from its online shopping destinations. FCA's interest in these endeavors seems to revolve around their vehicles being used as platforms for software and bespoke hardware setups created by the tech companies. There's no indication of what vehicles FCA would provide to either Uber or Amazon, but something minivan shaped could capably serve both the ride-sharing and package delivery service industries. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Bloomberg, Business InsiderImage Credit: Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg via Getty Green Chrysler Fiat Transportation Alternatives Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles Uber Sergio Marchionne FCA Amazon