Fiat-Chrysler & What We Can Expect in the Years Ahead

Mergers in the automotive industry are not always matches made in heaven. In fact, most mergers turn out to be disastrous. If you conjure up memories of Daimler and Chrysler you probably fully understand how a bad merger / acquisition can go. Now if you turn your attention over to mergers if more or less equals such as Renault-Nissan, then you may get an understanding of how ideal mergers work out. Some mergers benefit both companies while others benefits but one company at the cost of sacrificing the other. The use of the term merger is becoming quite common in the automotive industry and will continue to be popular as automakers try to reduce costs and thus increase profits.

The most talked about merger today is the Fiat-Chrysler alliance. In the United States, little is known about Fiat and there's a lot of misunderstandings about what the future holds for both companies. To try and dispel myths and give a better understanding of what the future holds for the alliance AutoBlog delved deeper into product commitments and future offerings and came up with the following future outlook.

First up is the Fiat 500. This subcompact vehicle is hot over in Europe. It's one of the best selling vehicles over there and has gained a very loyal following. The Fiat 500 will come to the United States this year beginning with the standard hatchback 500 followed by a convertible, then a high-performance Abarth model and finally a lengthened four-door version will appear. This will give Chrysler a presence in the subcompact class that is dominated by the likes of Mini, Honda and others.

Next up, Fiat's unique MultiAir engine technology will make its way to Chrysler engines. This technology increase fuel efficiency by up to 30 percent while also increasing torque by 10 percent and horsepower by up to 20 percent. This will give Chrysler more powerful and more efficient engines to work with. The Chrysler 2.0 and 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engines will receive MultiAir technology first.

Finally, we may seem some Alfa Romeo products come over here. Alfa Romeo is a luxury brand similar to BMW or Mercedes. The brands products have improved dramatically in recent years and many are hot-sellers. The only thing holding Fiat back from exporting the Alfa products here are high costs.

This alliance looks to be a win-win for Chrysler. Chrysler gets a lot of great products quickly which will help them secure sales in the United States and hopefully rebound from poor performance in recent years. Here's hoping that this merger is a match made in heaven.

Source: AutoBlog