2010 Jeep Wrangler Sport on 2040-cars

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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.

BMW M850i Convertible, VW Tiguan and Easter Jeep Safari concepts | Autoblog Podcast #669

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski. This week, they've been driving the BMW M850i xDrive Convertible and VW Tiguan. In the news, Peugeot isn't coming to the U.S. after all, Harley-Davidson has a CPO program, Jeep teased some Easter Safari concepts and Kia's got a big fire problem. Finally, they help a listener choose a replacement for a Nissan 350Z in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #669 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars We're Driving 2021 BMW M850i xDrive Convertible 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan News Peugeot's U.S. return officially canned as Stellantis doubles down on Alfa Romeo Harley-Davidson launches CPO program to entice younger buyers Jeep teases 'Magneto' and other concepts for Easter Jeep Safari Kia tells 380,000 more owners to park their cars outside due to fire risk Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video: Green Podcasts BMW Jeep Kia Peugeot Convertible Coupe Crossover Motorcycle SUV Concept Cars Electric Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance

Side-X-Sides: The next Wrangler?

The Jeep Wrangler has a huge following, but I've long thought that it is ripe for plucking. And if rumors of a neo-Bronco prove to be true, it sounds like Ford may agree. If a new Bronco does pan out, I hope it's small like the original Bronco, and not a huge F-150-based vehicle. To be a true Wrangler-fighter it has to be small and nimble. Here's another option How about developing a slightly larger, but street-legal version of the popular side-x-sides which are so popular with hunters, fishermen, farmers and anyone outdoors-oriented? This, to me, seems to be the next logical evolution of these side-x-sides. Currently side-x-sides have to be either trailered or stuffed into the back a of a pickup to wherever they're going to be used. Offering a street-legal off-roader solves that problem. There's no shortage of side-x-side makers out there. Any one of them could engineer and market such a vehicle, should they decide to. Plus there are plenty of dealer outlets, although Honda is the only one that currently sells cars, etc.; so they could have an edge in the selling and servicing aspects of such a vehicle. That said, I'm not sure Honda would want to sell such a vehicle in their car outlets. It may be better suited to their dealers that sell motorcycles, ATVs, watercraft, etc., as that outdoorsman type of customer already frequents those dealers. Then again, if the new Ridgeline proves popular, such a vehicle could offer something much more capable and sporting to that customer who is looking for something more extreme. The Wrangler has its fans, and they love it just as it stands. In fact Wrangler fans would reject any drastic engineering changes to their beloved off-roaders Side-x-sides, on the other hand, offer a completely different take on how to engineer a small but serious off-roader. Both are valid approaches. Currently the only thing missing are street-legal side-x-sides that go head-to-head against the Wrangler. Having more purchase options available is always a good thing; seems like a no-brainer to me. Image Credit: Honda Jeep Off-Road Vehicles open road