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Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne says Dodge models sold in Europe could be badged as Alfa Romeos

Dodge models could be rebadged in Europe as Alfa Romeos as part of Fiat’s restructuring plans for Chrysler.

Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has revealed he sees the two brands as sharing the same core identity and he aims to have a strategy in place for what to do with the brands by the end of the month.

One proposal Marchionne is considering is to sell all Dodge models as Alfa Romeos in Europe, and all Alfa Romeo models as Dodges in the US.

He said: “Dodge is the American muscle car, while Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car. How we dovetail these two brands is very important.”

“The level of competition between these two brands is tremendous because they are both going after the same customer.”

Marchionne also said he had managed to stem the cash loss from Chrysler since it exited bankruptcy proceedings last month.

Chrysler reorganised its company last month around its best assets and funding from Fiat and the US and Canadian governments. Last year, it spent $9.6 billion (£5.8 billion).

Marchionne said: “We are still burning cash, but it’s slowed down by far. The question is how quickly we can stop the bleeding. That is priority number one.”

He would not confirm how much money the company was still losing, but by cutting the firm’s inventory, adding new platforms and adding new engine technology, Marchionne hopes the company can soon turn around.

Marchionne also confirmed he would not be increasing his offer for Opel, but added that it was still on the table.

“We don’t need to own the world,” he said.

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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