It looks like Chrysler is here to stay — for now.
A thinly sourced rumor circulated earlier this week alleging that Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne was planning on announcing the end of the brand at the company's investor meeting today. But with the meeting now over, it appears that the iconic, nearly 100-year-old Detroit brand was left intact.
The basis for the rumor was that, simply, Chrysler is one of the company's weakest brands, consisting of just three models — the Chrysler 300, the Pacifica minivan, and an electric hybrid Pacifica. And though Marchionne dismissed the speculation about the death of Chrysler as "talking nonsense" at today's meeting, which laid out the company's five-year forecast, he also didn't offer much for its future.
As far as Chrysler goes, Marchionne said the brand would continue to provide Pacificas for Google's autonomous car division, Waymo. Instead, the company will invest heavily in its other brands: Jeep, Ram, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, while only 25 percent will go to Chrysler, Dodge, and Fiat.
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