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Sergio rethinks FCA-GM merger idea, dismisses critics

After many public overtures, Fiat Chrysler Automotive CEO Sergio Marchionne has claimed his company won't be making a hostile takeover bid for General Motors. This is despite widespread speculation that FCA's desire to merge was motivated by its allegedly dire situation. As one unnamed GM exec who spoke to Automotive News earlier this year put it, "Why should [GM] bail out FCA?" "We are not choking. We are in relatively decent shape," Marchionne told journalists attending an FCA shareholder meeting in Amsterdam, AN reports. "We have been publicly rebuffed, we have been rejected and you cannot force these things. I don't want to. At the moment, we have no intention to do anything hostile." Instead of focusing on merging with GM, or any other partners for that matter, FCA will refocus on implementing its ambitious five-year investment plan, which would see it dump $52 billion into its various brands, with a particular focus on Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Jeep. So far the attempt has largely been unsuccessful, especially as it relates to the Italian brands. Earlier this week, additional reports emerged that claimed Alfa was pushing back the Giulia and an unnamed CUV while reassigning resources to updated versions of the Giulietta and MiTo hatchbacks. This is not the first time we've heard about trouble for the Giulia, of course. For Masearti, though, it was the first we'd heard of delays for Alfieri sports car, which allegedly won't appear in 2016, as promised. We can expect a proper breakdown of FCA's adjusted plans when Marchionne and Company reveal an updated product slate next month. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Alfa Romeo Chrysler Fiat GM Jeep Maserati Sergio Marchionne FCA

2019 Jeep Scrambler interior spied, will have Wrangler's removable top

The Jeep Scrambler — the long-awaited truck variant of the Jeep Wrangler — has been in development for a long, long time. We've seen spy shots of various prototypes for years now. Even with the camouflage, it's not difficult to tell what's hiding underneath. We have a new batch here, and while there isn't really anything new on the outside, these do give us a good look at the new Jeep's interior. Good news: It looks like the Scrambler will get the Wrangler's removable roof panels. The roll bar, latch and removable panel are all quite obvious from the inside. Although we know the Scrambler is based on the Wrangler, it was unclear how much of the design would carry over. The rest of the interior is a little more odd. We fully expect the Scrambler to be based on the new 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL, but this prototype has the dashboard of the outgoing Wrangler JK. It also has a Chrysler steering wheel, so this may simply be either a parts-bin prototype or an older tester that hasn't been updated. We don't yet know when we'll see a full reveal, but it doesn't look like the Scrambler will hit dealer showrooms until April 2019. Until then, pore over some more spy photos and some great renderings of the new Jeep truck. Related Video: Featured Gallery Jeep Scrambler Spy Shots View 15 Photos Design/Style Spy Photos Jeep Truck Off-Road Vehicles jeep scrambler

2013 AEV Brute Double Cab

These are the guys who bring an M777 howitzer to a knife fight. In terms of overall rugged utility, the all-new 2013 Brute Double Cab from American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) is about as overkill as they come, and we can't seem to get enough of the beasts that this company produces. Unlike most aftermarket firms, always striving to lower cost and increase volume (but at the expense of quality), Michigan-based AEV takes pride in its OEM-quality design, engineering, manufacturing and testing. Everything is as good, or better, than the stuff from the factory, and they have been doing it this way for more than 15 years.
Launched at the recent 2012 SEMA show was the 2013 AEV Brute Double Cab. Its debut marked the company's expansion to a four-door Brute on the newer JK platform (drawing inspiration from the Land Rover Defender 130). I recently spent a few hours with the new truck in sunny Southern California, though unfortunately, due to time constraints, I was limited to pavement-only driving impressions.
Driving Notes