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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

Maserati MCXtrema revealed as a track-only limited-production 'toy' at The Quail

The Maserati MCXtrema just had its sheet pulled off at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. It’s yet another race car variation of the MC20, following in the footsteps of the Maserati GT2. Unlike the GT2, though, the MCXtrema is not designed to be used in any official racing series. Instead, itÂ’s a race car built without boundaries for maximum performance. And of course, because itÂ’s a race car, itÂ’s not street-legal either.  What is it for then? Maserati claims the MCXtrema is meant for “purist collectors and for the loyal customers of the brand, who wish to add a new ‘toyÂ’ to their garage that can swallow up the curbs of the most exciting tracks during private tests.” Basically, just think of it as a millionaireÂ’s toy to take out on the occasional weekend track day. ItÂ’s just for fun, not for any serious competition use. Since itÂ’s not regulated by any specific racing series, Maserati pumped output all the way up to 730 horsepower from the twin-turbo Nettuno V6 engine. ThatÂ’s 109 horsepower more than the road car and the GT2. Maserati didnÂ’t go into detail about the aero and suspension package, but it sure does look as extreme as the name of the car makes it out to be. Only 62 MCXtremas will be built, and from what we can tell, theyÂ’re already spoken for. WeÂ’re not sure how much one will cost either, but youÂ’ll be able to see it in person at The Quail on the Monterey Peninsula today. Related video:

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