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FCA scion John Elkann tries to pull off a Marchionne-sized merger

MILAN, Italy — When John Elkann lost his ally last year with the sudden death of Sergio Marchionne, some questioned whether the softly-spoken scion of the Agnelli clan would be able to emerge from his shadow to ensure Fiat Chrysler's future. But New York-born Elkann, who became Fiat chairman in 2010, acted decisively to fill the vacuum left by the larger-than-life Marchionne and get closer to the big merger deal the legendary executive was unable to deliver. At just 28, Elkann was thrust into the role of Fiat vice chairman after the deaths of his grandfather and great-uncle "because there was really nobody else" to take the wheel. For Elkann, who got his first taste of the car industry as an intern at a factory producing headlights in Birmingham, England, the first 18 months with responsibility for the family-owned carmaker and its long heritage were "terrible." But from that low point, Elkann, 43, is now trying to merge Fiat Chrysler (FCA) with French rival Renault to form the world's third largest carmaker and tackle new challenges facing the industry. Elkann will become chairman of the merged FCA-Renault if the deal goes ahead, ensuring the Agnelli dynasty plays a central role in the next chapter of automotive history. At an event in Milan on Monday, the usually-shy Elkann looked happy and confident. His first big break came with an instrumental role in persuading Marchionne, who was running one of the businesses owned by the Agnelli family, to become chief executive in 2004 and give Fiat "a new start," Elkann said in a "Masters of Scale" podcast last year. Fiat was at the time almost on the brink of collapse. This involved a "very long night ... and many grappas" but proved to be a turning point in the fortunes of the Italian company founded by Elkann's great-great-grandfather Giovanni Agnelli, which built its first car in 1899. In 2005, Elkann backed Marchionne in negotiating the breakup of an alliance Fiat had entered into with General Motors in 2000, receiving $2 billion from GM in return for canceling a deal that could have required GM to buy the remainder of Fiat Auto. Marchionne then used GM's money to fund a turnaround at Fiat, which involved taking the Italian carmaker into a transformation alliance and then full-blown merger with U.S. automaker Chrysler as Elkann agreed to the Agnellis loosening their grip.

Nissan driver drifts on snowy roads during news broadcast

During a New York reporter's live broadcast during Monday night's snowstorm, one driver couldn't help but show how much fun a little powder can be. Stacey Bell of NBC 4 New York was doing what is known in the biz as a 'standup' on a street corner as the snow began to pile up. As she reported on the dangers of driving in the snow, the camera operator closed in on a row of cars stopped at a traffic light. When the light turned green, one car slid across the street toward Bell, who didn't skip a beat. After stopping a few feet away from the journalist, the driver peels away. While some outlets are reporting that Bell had a close call with an out-of-control car, the driver's gleeful acceleration away from the limelight in a RWD Nissan 240SX make us side with Road and Track's opinion that the driver was simply showing off for the cameras. Weird Car News Nissan Videos snow

Nissan: With Dad

Nissan released a whopper for its 2015 Super Bowl ad, giving us a motorsports heavy ad that featured not only the eagerly awaited, front-engined GT-R-based Le Mans car, but that delivered a tantalizing look at the next-generation Nissan Maxima, a sexy, rakish sedan that shares its styling with the 2015 Murano crossover. As for the ad, it's a confusing yet touching bit about a racing dad balancing time away from his family. We'd try to interpret it, but we're too distracted by the cars. Marketing/Advertising Nissan Coupe Racing Vehicles Super Bowl Commercials Videos Sedan nissan maxima 2015 super bowl ad