Chrysler in talks with....

[Dave W]

Fiat??? 

Great. I can see it now--  a Hemi that won't start.

[Muzikman7]

When I saw the headline I thought you we're going to say FMIC. (Just kidding)

[uwe]

Actually, once you think about it, it could make sense. No word has been more misused than "synergy", but these two would at least share the front wheel drive ( a big issue in the ill-fated Daimler merger as Mercedes has a rear wheel drive culture) plus have little cannibalizing model lines. Fiat SUVs are as rare as Chrysler mini cars.

Uwe

[Pilgrim]

I think they could bring complementary strengths to each other - and Fiat has been wanting to re-enter the US market.  I like the idea!

[eb2]

It would seem they want to make cars, which is probably more than you can say about GM these days.

[Freuds_Cat]

Fiat??? 

Great. I can see it now--  a Hemi that won't start.

Nah, more like a Jeep Cherokee with a 1.3-litre JTD Turbo Diesel engine in it 

[rahock]

Nah, more like a Jeep Cherokee with a 1.3-litre JTD Turbo Diesel engine in it 

Don't laugh at this prospect. Back in the 70s there was a company pitching Chrysler their high performance diesel line. They had  turbo 4 and 6 cylinder models and I believe they also had a V8. I had the opportunity to drive the 4 cyl CJ and the 6 cyl Cherokee  several times and they were absolute screamers. They came off the line like my old Dodge Super Bee with about 425 hp. I was certain that Chrysler was destined to own the biggest of the big three title by 1980.
Their financial issues at the time , as well as several other factors , made them walk away from the deal. That also pretty much crushed the company that was producing the diesel engines. I'm not sure if they went belly up or if someone bought them, but they had a monster of a product and it just may have really changed Chryslers future way back then.

In any event , I wish them , GM  and Ford the best of luck. They all spent several years doing some serious screwing up, but I (a Detroit boy) believe their  products today can compete with the imports if the American public will give them a chance .
Rick

[lowend1]

Don't laugh at this prospect. Back in the 70s there was a company pitching Chrysler their high performance diesel line. They had  turbo 4 and 6 cylinder models and I believe they also had a V8. I had the opportunity to drive the 4 cyl CJ and the 6 cyl Cherokee  several times and they were absolute screamers. They came off the line like my old Dodge Super Bee with about 425 hp. I was certain that Chrysler was destined to own the biggest of the big three title by 1980.
Their financial issues at the time , as well as several other factors , made them walk away from the deal. That also pretty much crushed the company that was producing the diesel engines. I'm not sure if they went belly up or if someone bought them, but they had a monster of a product and it just may have really changed Chryslers future way back then.

In any event , I wish them , GM  and Ford the best of luck. They all spent several years doing some serious screwing up, but I (a Detroit boy) believe their  products today can compete with the imports if the American public will give them a chance .
Rick

With all due respect, I'm a little confused here. Chrysler did not acquire Jeep until 1987, when it purchased AMC for $2 billion. If you drove a pair of diesel Jeep prototypes in the 1970s, they would have been under the American Motors banner, not Chrysler.
With regard to Fiat, this isn't the first time Chrysler has partnered with a foreign manufacturer (Renault, Simca, Rootes-Hillman, Mitsubishi, and that awful Daimler thing). If this 35% deal enables Mother Mopar to build the stuff that's currently in the conceptual stages, I'm all for it. OTOH, Fiat hard starting was only the beginning - once it got going, a gem like the X1/9 would be plagued by rust, overheating, poor wet weather handling, and a propensity to not want to go in reverse. Let us not forget that the Fiat 128 was the basis for the Yugo as well.

[rahock]

The Jeeps that I drove were indeed AMC. The company that built the engines used Jeeps for their prototypes. I guess I should have explained that.
I believe the name of the company was Aaddvo (not sure about the spelling). They were also pitching their product real hard to Ford. In fact that's how I got to know them. I used to own a carwash and detail shop near Ford World Headquarters and we prepped their two jeeps for shows and demos to the auto companies probably a dozen times or more.
I got to know a couple of their engineers and sales people prettty well. Scuttlebut was, Chrysler was very interested but money was tight, Ford was a house divided with some people real hot and others real cold. GM was not even a target as they had their own diesel thing going already, and even though their prototypes were based on AMC vehicles, I don't recall any talk about AMC being interested either.
Great piece of machinery, but nobody bought it and the company disappeared.
Rick

[Dave W]

I'm so old I remember when Kaiser acquired Jeep from Willys.

[Barklessdog]

We have a guy  around me who drives around in an old Willy's pickup truck from the early 50"s.

You just do not see many old Willy's, Studebakers or AMC's driving around anymore, at least here.

[Freuds_Cat]

I saw an old  pickup truck (which we dont really have here, due to the popularity of and tradition of the Ute) yesterday that had Willys on the tailgate.   I just thought that the guy who owned it was named Willy! 

I'm joking about the last bit but I did see one and I reckon that was only about the 2nd Willys I've ever seen in my life.

[Dave W]

They were still called Willys Jeeps for a number of years after Kaiser bought them.

When I was growing up, there was hardly anything as uncool as a station wagon, and the most uncool wagon of all was the Willys Jeepster. If your parents owned one and you had to ride in it, you most likely wanted to slink out of sight. And yet the Jeepster was really the inspiration for the modern SUV. Go figure.

[Pilgrim]

I always thought the Jeepster was / is really cool!

And maybe if Chrysler and Fiat's deal works out, there will be better parts supply for the 1958 Fiat Roadster in my garage.  (Fiat ad...)

[TBird1958]

You have one of those in your garage?