Posted on 07/22/2018 8:46:30 AM PDT by jjotto
All cars are much better than they used to be. Even Jaguars. The quality problems with all FCA brands are well-documented and regularly reported on in the automotive press.
I think it’s great that the worst brands these days aren’t that bad compared to 40 years ago. But autos are a very competitive business. The worst is still the worst. The quality chief job at FCA is a revolving door.
The X1-9 would crap out in any weather. Lots of fun to drive, when it ran.
An imported parts shop guy I knew counted up all the Fiats he knew of in Iowa City in 1971. He laid in 35 starter motors in November. Sold every one by the following spring
His plan involved shedding the debt before he retired, which he had planned to do in 2019:
FCA says it will be debt-free by midyear
January 29, 2018 @ 12:01 am
Larry P. Vellequette
[snip] Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is on track to be debt-free by midyear and will hit aggressive financial targets that could allow it to “outperform Ford in 2018,” FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said last week... The company’s key metric, its North American profit margin, rose half a percentage point to 7.9 percent, despite falling deliveries in the quarter from fleet production. The North American profit will mean $5,500 profit-sharing checks on average for UAW members, up from $5,000 a year earlier, FCA said. That will be on top of a $2,000 bonus paid to all U.S. workers, except top executives, related to U.S. corporate tax cuts [MAGA!}. Changes in U.S. tax law are projected to save the company $1 billion a year... [Marchionne:] “We were the only leveraged automaker in the world. We’re no longer leveraged. We’re now fighting with equal arms.” [/snip]
http://www.autonews.com/article/20180129/OEM/180129781/fca-says-it-will-be-debt-free-by-midyear
Corruption of union execs are one reason auto jobs by the Big Three vanished:
Feds: UAW, FCA execs were in cahoots in multimillion-dollar scam that funded trips, cars
Brent Snavely,Tresa Baldas and Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press Published 2:01 p.m. ET July 26, 2017 | Updated 10:43 p.m. ET July 26, 2017
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2017/07/26/uaw-vp-fiat-chrysler-executive-indicted/513202001/
Fiat - Fix it Again Tony...FCA needs to promote Alfa Romano and kill Fiat in the US. They need to spin off Jeep/Ram...
HaHa, Romeo, Romano goes on your pasta.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.