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UAW may be key to forced FCA merger with GM

Sergio Marchionne doesn't give up on a business deal easily. While outwardly not much has recently been said about FCA's attempted merger with General Motors, Marchionne might be hoping to garner a powerful, new ally that could help break things wide open. The United Auto Workers retiree health care trust is the single largest shareholder of GM with 8.7 percent of the stock, and having its support would certainly improve FCA's position in getting a deal done. "Whatever happens in terms of consolidation, it would never be done without the consent and support of the UAW," Marchionne said when FCA recently began contract talks with the UAW, The Detroit News reports. The boss is also allegedly on good terms with the union president Dennis Williams. Still, using the organization for a hostile takeover could be very difficult because of the way its votes are structured. Other activist investors might already be on board, though. Marchionne believes that consolidation in the industry is vital because automakers are investing to create the same technologies. A GM/FCA merger still has many roadblocks, though, including the fact that Marchionne's company is smaller than GM. From a regulatory perspective, the size of the merged company could raise serious anti-trust concerns among regulators, according to The Detroit News. There's also the concern for lost jobs from redundant work with the two combined businesses. Even if the UAW angle doesn't work out, there are contingency plans afoot for other merger targets. According to The Detroit News speaking to anonymous insiders, FCA bigwigs have a meeting in London on Thursday to take a close look at other options. In addition to GM, they are investigating possible deals with Volkswagen and the Renault-Nissan Alliance. In the past, PSA Peugeot Citroen and multiple Asian automakers have also been brought up as partners, and UBS has reportedly been providing financial advice on what to do.

Chrysler 200 prototype spied for first time with new body

Chrysler is deep into testing for its next-generation 200 sedan, a new model that is utterly essential to the brand's continued health. The next iteration is tasked with wiping away anything reminiscent of the Sebring, which the current 200 is still based on. According to our spy, this is one of the first of the new 200s to wear a production body rather than the Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based mules that are thick on the ground in Auburn Hills.
Immediately apparent is that the new 200 ditches the awkwardly styled C-pillar that's typified four-door 200 sedans (and Sebrings before them) for years. The new, sleeker roofline is almost more of a four-door coupe than a traditional sedan, which hints that this new car will try to be more fashion-forward than its predecessor. The rear deck is set off by a sporty decklid spoiler, while a set of staggered rectangular exhaust pipes poke out of the bumper.
The front end appears sleeker, and we'd be lying if we didn't spy a bit of Dart through the camouflage, particularly with the headlights. A large, gaping lower air intake is visible, although our spy seems to think it'll shrink before production models debut. Whatever the new 200 ends up looking like, we expect to see a lot more of its styling from Chrysler in the coming years.

Wolverine will drive weird custom Chrysler 300 in next X-Men movie

Fiat Chrysler loves a movie tie-in. Remember the Stormtrooper-spec Dodge Charger we messed around with? Then there was the Jeep Renegade Dawn of Justice special edition, built for Batman v. Superman. And now, it looks like the company donated a misshapen Chrysler limo for the latest film in the Wolverine series. Some movie-stalking paparazzi caught Hugh Jackman next to this odd vehicle, and you can see photos at Just Jared, a celebrity gossip site. The photogs were more concerned with the graying star, who's reprising his role as the adamantium-boned superhero for the ninth time including cameos, but we'll focus on the machine. We can see the car's rear three-quarters and not a lot else. It looks broadly based on the 300, but much longer. The Chrysler winged badge is clearly visible on the trunk, while a retro script version of the automaker's logo sits on the rear pillar. There's also an unexplained "E8" badge to the right of the driver's side taillight. And as for those lamps, it's like FCA mashed together the current 300's taillights with those from a Cadillac CT6. The trunk and rear window are the strangest elements of all. We can't figure out what's happening with the tiny rear glass, the strange curve to it, or the tiny, sloping rear deck. It's ... not pretty. From the rest of what's visible, it's clear this particular car is a limo of some kind. The front end has been modified with fat fender flares sitting over some big multispoke wheels, and the door handles have been shaved. Behind the B-pillar, it gets weird. There's a long stretch of glass and bodywork, and then a very small rear door. Ingress and egress would be tough, to say the least. There's a lot of brightwork, too, from the wheels to the thick chrome strip running below the greenhouse and onto the hood. A couple of the images give a glimpse into the interior, which is wholly different from that in the production 300. We've embedded a tweet with some of the images below. But for the full gallery, you'll need to head over to Just Jared. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video: News Source: JustJared.comImage Credit: Marvel Studios Auto News TV/Movies Chrysler Luxury Sedan