http://www.autoevolution.com/news/sergio-marchionne-says-he-could-deliver-a-tesla-model-3-rival-in-12-months-106594.html Sergio Marchionne Says He Could Deliver a Tesla Model 3 Rival in 12 Months 15th April 2016 Vlad Mitrache
You have to love Sergio Marchionne, even though the man is rarely right about what he says. Or maybe that's precisely why. He's a character, and the industry needs this type of people too. Plus, as long as nobody takes him too seriously, he's pretty much harmless. As the CEO of FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), he isn't very interested in the electric car segment. His company is currently selling the Fiat 500e, but it never really bothered too much with creating an EV. It had the 500 lying around, it was the coolest car in the lineup, and so it automatically qualified as the best candidate for an engine transplant. Its success, however, was limited, and Fiat only really did it to show it's not completely oblivious to everything that's going on in the industry right now. In fact, Marchionne even urged people not to buy the 500e because the company was losing money with it, which isn't something you hear too often in this world. Fiat is in the middle of a renaissance process, with new models showing, for the first time in quite a while, a clear direction - there are actually two new paths: the economical one and the more premium one. The former is best represented by models such as the Panda or the newly launched Tipo, while the latter is where the 500 (with its L and X derivates) resides. Apart from Fiat, the Jeep brand is also doing well thanks to the new Renegade and Cherokee models, and Chrysler is showing signs of life as well. The FCA seems to be over its darkest moments, which can only mean one thing: Marchionne is going to get more and more vocal. For now, he aimed his guns at the Tesla Model 3 - something that is beginning to look like everybody's favorite activity - saying that the hard part is only yet to come for Musk's company. "I'm am not surprised by the high number of reservations but you have then to build and deliver them and also be profitable," he said during FCA's annual meeting, quoted by Automotive News Europe. Marchionne thinks it would only take FCA twelve months to build a rival for the new EV sedan from Palo Alto, and it would also benefit from "Italian styling," but he says he's not convinced the Model 3 can be profitable. Mr. Marchionne, however, is forgetting one thing (or he wants to appear as if he's forgetting it): Tesla has been preparing this moment for years. It's not just about building an electric sedan with a maximum range of 200+ miles, but also about a huge factory that makes the batteries and, most of all, a very well spread charging network. Could FCA do that in 12 months without going bankrupt? The truth is FCA is aligning with the rest of the conventional manufacturers that are doubting Tesla's chances of success and the relevance of the 400,000 pre-orders for the Model 3. And they could be right, as nothing is certain for now and anything can happen. But they do seem to be playing all their money on one card. Because if they're wrong, they're going to have to play catch-up with a company that's proven to be pushing the boundaries with every new model. And that's not going to be easy. [© autoevolution.com] http://www.carscoops.com/2016/04/fca-will-build-tesla-model-3-rival-if.html FCA Will Build A Tesla Model 3 Rival If The Compact Electric Is Profitable April 15, 2016 Bogdan Zoltan The Tesla Mode 3’s profitability sounds too good to be true to some, as Marchionne says FCA could build a rival for the compact electric car – with added Italian flair – if the business “makes sense”. It’s certain that everyone’s eyes are on Tesla’s $35,000 (based-priced) Model 3, especially as the American company reported that almost 400,000 pre-orders were registered for the vehicle. Speaking with AutoNews at FCA’s annual meeting in Amsterdam, CEO Sergio Marchionne explained that it’s hard to imagine a profitability on Tesla’s behalf after building and shipping the automobiles: "I'm not surprised by the high number of reservations but you have to then build and deliver them and also be profitable." In other words, Marchionne doesn’t see a way to make the Model 3 profitable at $35,000, but he will copy the formula if Elon Musk will prove him wrong: "(If Elon Musk) can show me that the car will be profitable at that price, I will copy the formula, add the Italian design flair and get it to the market within 12 months." When asked if the FCA is late at the “electric party”, Marchionne replied: “better late than sorry.” Well, that’s settles it; if you want an electric Alfa Romeo or Fiat or whatever, you better hope the Tesla Model 3 will be a huge economic success. [© Carscoop & Carscoops] ... http://auto.ndtv.com/news/fiat-boss-skeptical-of-tesla-model-3s-success-will-create-a-rival-if-profitable-1396421 Fiat Boss Skeptical Of Tesla Model 3's Success; Will Create a Rival if Profitable Apr 17, 2016 If ... CEO, Sergio Marchionne is anything to go by, FCA could introduce a Tesla Model 3 rivaling electric car, if ... For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-FCA-and-ice-manufacturers-doubt-400k-Tesla-3-pre-order-chances-tp4681633.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
