Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will merge with Groupe PSA, maker of Peugeot and Citroen, both companies confirmed. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA of France, maker of Peugeot, will execute a historic 50-50 merger, creating the world’s fourth-largest automaker. More at The Detroit News.
+ In the tentative contract negotiated by Ford and the United Auto Workers, the company will close its Romeo, Michigan engine plant, but no net loss of jobs will result. More at CNBC.
+ New data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that auto fatalities are in decline, but truck, pedestrian, and cycling deaths are rising. More at Motor Trend.
+ The newly merged Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar team has signed Patricio O’Ward and Oliver Askew to drive in 2020, leaving popular veteran James Hinchcliffe without a ride. More at Racer.
+ Ron Watson, the founder and president of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA), now based in Daytona Beach, Florida, has passed away at 72. More at Hemmings Daily.
+ Fisker chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker has unveiled his new electric crossover and a name for the vehicle, the Fisker Ocean, which is scheduled for production in 2021. More at Autoblog.
+ Porsche confirmed that it will offer a manual transmission as no-cost option in the next-generation (992) 911 Carrera, though most will be equipped with automatics. More at The Drive.
+ M. Stanley Whittingham, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who patented the lithium-on battery, says improved technology will make electric cars ubiquitous. More at Automotive News Europe.
+ Amid considerable controversy, Formula 1 has unveiled its revised sporting, technical, and financial regulations that will go into effect with the 2021 season. More at BBC Sport.
+ General Motors is recalling 638,000 late-model SUVs and pickups with four-wheel drive to correct a wheel-speed sensor defect that could cause unintended braking. More at Reuters.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from October 28 here.
Photo courtesy of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Have you joined Mac’s Motor City Garage on Facebook? It’s lots of fun with rare photos, lore, trivia, and great discussions. Click here to go the page and join MCG. Be sure to check out our companion Facebook group MOTOROLOGY, too, and our latest page, Friends of Mac’s Motor City Garage.
When this is all done, I wonder if Chrysler will remain in the name.
Just when you thought they couldn’t get any uglier, Fiat Chrysler marries Puke and Choke. Walter P. Chrysler is turning in his grave. From the big three majority USA manufacturer to a European minority one , Chrysler has just about lost it’s identity. Sometimes bigger isn’t better, and in Chrysler’s case, this is one of those times. The parent company may be bigger, but they will find it hard to sell Peugeots and Citroens in the USA., and owning Chrysler isn’t going to help them much, if any. If Jeep and Dodge falter a bit, they will disappear forever….