Guangfei not domestically produced Chrysler will push C-Medium next year

Fiat's "new home" in China has not yet been completed. Chrysler's willingness to move in is more urgent. A few days ago, Chrysler’s head of operations Mike Manley said in an interview that Chrysler is investigating the possibility of launching a car in China, and it is much more convenient to cooperate with Fiat than looking for a partner. However, GAC Fiat is not in the cold.

The intention of Chrysler to use the Fiat Fiat project to achieve domestic production is strengthened with Fiat’s controlling position. On May 24th, after Chrysler had repaid loans from the U.S. government and the Canadian government, Fiat had increased its shareholding in Chrysler to 46%. Since then, Fiat has issued a statement that it will acquire the remaining 6% of the Chrysler Group's shares held by the US Department of the Treasury. After Fiat held a 52% stake in Chrysler and directly held Chrysler, various speculations followed, and GAC Fiat became a public opinion center.

For all kinds of rumours, the official response of GAC Fiat stated that “the production plan of Chrysler has not been considered for the time being, and production capacity has not changed accordingly.” According to the plan, GAC Fiat production base is divided into two phases of construction. The first phase of the project will be completed and put into production in 2012, when it will form an annual production capacity of 140,000 vehicles and an annual output of 220,000 engines. The second phase of the project will be completed in 2014-2015, and will form a scale of annual production and sales of 250,000 to 300,000 vehicles. The first C-Medium newly designed for the Chinese market is expected to be launched in the middle of next year.

The Fiat 500 will be imported and sold in September. The construction of the Changsha plant will be in full swing. The C-Medium will also be launched next year. GAC Fiat has no intention of considering Chrysler's domestic affairs, but the executives' attitudes have left room for imagination. At the Shanghai Auto Show this year, Lorenzo Sistino, executive vice president of the Fiat Group Motor Company, once stated that “the current Fiat-based Fiat Changsha base under construction will have a capacity of 300,000 units and provide space for future development.” And Fiat Fiat executive vice president General Manager Jiang Ping did not deny any possibility when answering a reporter’s question.

In fact, in view of Chrysler, as soon as possible to promote domestic production is the necessary guarantee for its future sales growth. At present, the domestic SUV market is booming, and Chrysler, who has emerged from the predicament, apparently wants to take another step. Mike Manley said Chrysler’s sales target in China this year is 40,000, compared to 31,000 last year. The introduction of Jeep guides will be the main reason for the increase in sales volume. Faced with Chrysler's constant expression of eagerly-made domestic sentiment, through market strategy considerations, how to balance the development relationship between Fiat brand and Chrysler brand in China in the future will be a problem that Fiat urgently needs to solve. Text and Diagram / Wu Pengliang