J-150 Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/03/14/fiat-chrysler-automobiles-volkswagen-group/99159414/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 That's like Rose deciding to get in the water to keep Jack company. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 That's like Rose deciding to get in the water to keep Jack company. holy crap that's awesome, I'll have to remember that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 (edited) They want Jeep, Ram and Ferrari. The rest they will close down. Business analyst on the local news radio station thinks its a shield from US and Euro prosecutors. They bail out Fiat to have the remaining diesel fines and charges waived. Edited March 15, 2017 by J-150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 VW is open to TALKS with FCA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 They want Jeep, Ram and Ferrari. The rest they will close down. Didn't FCA spin Ferrari off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Didn't FCA spin Ferrari off? I believe FCA still holds a minority share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomcat68 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Well, it was Alfa that VW wanted to buy a while back and Sergio was annoyed. I believe VW wanted to bring the Skoda brand into the USA and having a dealership network set up is good, especially if it gives you Jeep and Ram which specializes in the two market segments that VW competes poorly and desperately needs. However FCA comes with a diesel scandal which VW desperately doesn't need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 I believe VW wanted to bring the Skoda brand into the USA Yeah. There's some brand equity to tap into! In late 1959, the Škoda Felicia, a compact four-cylinder convertible coupe, was imported into the United States for model year 1960. Its retail price was around US$2,700, for which one could purchase a nicely-equipped V8 domestic car that was larger, more comfortable, and had more luxury and convenience features (gasoline retailed for less than 30 cents per gallon, so fuel economy was not of primary importance in America at that time). Those Felicias that made it to American ownership soon experienced a number of reliability problems, further damaging the car's reputation. The Felicia was therefore a poor seller in the States and leftover cars ended up being hied off at a fraction of the original retail list. Since that time, Škoda automobiles have not been imported into the U.S. for retail sale. (Wiki, of course) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 The Škoda Bye Felicia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomcat68 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Yeah. There's some brand equity to tap into! (Wiki, of course) The Toyota Toyopet was also a sales disaster when it came out in the 1950's. Toyota seems to be doing okay. I think most people will forget that Skodas were here before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 There's enough brands for sale and many are failing. Chrysler brand will be gone by 2021, and FCA will either become "FJA" or swallowed up. Even Fiat brand is doomed I think, failing all over. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 The Toyota Toyopet was also a sales disaster when it came out in the 1950's. Toyota seems to be doing okay. I think most people will forget that Skodas were here before. That's because Toyota stuck with it and improved their product. Why would I buy a Skoda? I mean, really, sell me on buying a vaguely European product I've never heard of, when there are dozens of whatever I want already on the market? Basically, it's Fiat all over again. Why would I buy a Fiat? Because they're quirky? Ok, great, that's like a few hundred sales a month in the third largest country on the planet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 (edited) That's because Toyota stuck with it and improved their product. Why would I buy a Skoda? I mean, really, sell me on buying a vaguely European product I've never heard of, when there are dozens of whatever I want already on the market? Basically, it's Fiat all over again. Why would I buy a Fiat? Because they're quirky? Ok, great, that's like a few hundred sales a month in the third largest country on the planet. Not to mention most of the Skoda products just look like rebadged VWs already. Whoops, I was thinking of Seat models. Edited March 15, 2017 by rmc523 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 What's the point of another VW group brand in the USA when VW itself can't get much traction. Skoda has a market connection in Europe but very little outside of there, they're mostly reworked VW vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 What's the point of another VW group brand in the USA when VW itself can't get much traction. Skoda has a market connection in Europe but very little outside of there, they're mostly reworked VW vehicles. If that's legit, the VW execs living in an alternate reality may think that they doubling the number of entry-level brands will double their sales. Because, you know, you just have to put something on the market and it will sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 If that's legit, the VW execs living in an alternate reality may think that they doubling the number of entry-level brands will double their sales. Because, you know, you just have to put something on the market and it will sell. Did they hire Bob Lutz? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Marchionne Has Zero Interest in Pursuing VW Merger This gets nuttier by the minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 (edited) If that's legit, the VW execs living in an alternate reality may think that they doubling the number of entry-level brands will double their sales. Because, you know, you just have to put something on the market and it will sell. Skoda to the US is never going to work. But what if Skoda vehicles were rebadged as Dodge or Chrysler? I'd give it a decent chance of at least selling as many units as FCA did with its own cars, which from VW's perspective maybe good enough to justify jumping in the water with Sergio Jack. I believe most of the new Skoda vehicles are on MQB platform so they are engineered to meet US safety standards, and VW already has US compliant drivetrains. So it's not really that difficult to rebadge Skoda Octavia as Dodge Dart. You have to try really hard to not achieve the volume that FCA achieved before they cut bait on Dart and 200. Add in next gen Yeti and the new Kodiaq CUV, and you are a ready made line up for the US market. Skoda Fabia ==> Dodge Spirit Skoda Rapid ==> Dodge Hornet Skoda Octavia ==> Dodge Dart or Chrysler 100 Skoda Superb ==> Chrysler 200 Skoda Yeti ==> Dodge Nitro or Chrysler Scamp Skoda Kodiaq ==> Dodge Journey or Chrysler Aspen The real issue I see with VW-FCA combination is that VW has to takeover Ram, and its billion dollar annual investments to keep pace with Ford's F-150 Juggernaut. If I'm a VW board member, I will have real reservation about this. The rest of FCA can be absorbed and rationalized with Jeep adding some real value. Edited March 15, 2017 by bzcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92merc Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 This is like a hooker saying they are open to syphilis... But hey, with Sergio involved, you just never know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Skoda to the US is never going to work. But what if Skoda vehicles were rebadged as Dodge or Chrysler? I'd give it a decent chance of at least selling as many units as FCA did with its own cars, which from VW's perspective maybe good enough to justify jumping in the water with Sergio Jack. Skoda vehicles look nothing more then rebadged VWs, which don't sell that great in the US anyways because of that styling. I think its time to let the market lose a couple nameplates because Dodge and Chrysler really don't have anything to offer above and beyond what is already out there in the North American market. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I thought Dodge was already replaced by Skoda..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 So I wonder if PSA's acquisition of Opel Vauxhall now makes it a bigger contender in Europe against VW group and does that increase in PSA's size now urge VW to do another deal to maintain a superior margin... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted March 19, 2017 Author Share Posted March 19, 2017 IMO, this is just what VW needs to truly be a player in North America. They get Ram, Jeep and a dealer network. The cars are gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGR Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 I just got back from two weeks in Israel, it is essentially an extension of Europe, except that sedans are more popular than hatchbacks. VWs, Skodas, and SEATs were very popular, Fiat not so much. There were also a healthy number of PSA products, Fords, and Japanese and Korean cars. Apparently, GM has vacillated between Chevy and Opel in Israel, making it hard to gain a foothold. If VW bought Fiat, it wouldn't create that much overlap. The Fiat brand is basically popular only in Italy and could be scaled down elsewhere or merged with SEAT. The former Chrysler part has no overlap with VW at all. Only Alfa Romeo and Maserati are overlaps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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