Chinese Automaker Great Wall Motor Co Is Interested In Buying American Icon Jeep

Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor Co. told Automotive News it is interested in buying the Jeep brand and has reached out to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to see whether a deal can be negotiated.

The move would slice Jeep from the rest of FCA's brands, leaving question marks over the future of Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge and Ram. FCA already said it would consider splitting Alfa Romeo and Maserati into their own company.?

Great Wall President Wang Fengying, listed by Fortune as the seventh most powerful woman in Asia, wrote in an email to Automotive News that Great Wall intends to buy Jeep and is "connecting with FCA" to begin negotiations.

MDarringer - 8/21/2017 8:14:53 AM

-1 Boost

If Sergio loses Jeep, the only revenue stream left is Ram.

Firewombat - 8/21/2017 9:54:48 AM

+2 Boost

They could possibly do better under a Chinese company, Jeep is the stand-out performer although Fiat does well in other markets as well. I wonder how much Sergio stands to make if he actually manages to sell all of the brands off?

MDarringer - 8/21/2017 8:22:56 PM

-1 Boost

Agree with you 1000%. Literally anyone is better for Jeep than Sergio and his band of idiots.

Firewombat - 8/22/2017 3:21:21 AM

0 Boost

I don't think Sergio is an idiot at all. He's a lot more successful than you or I. He helped build up and manage one of the 10 biggest auto makers in the world. But I do think taking on Chrysler was biting off more than what Fiat could chew even though they have done a better than previous owners of Chrysler. Many have tried and failed. Fiat has done a much better job than Daimler for example.

While Jeep is their crown jewel, you could take other manufacturers and split off their SUVs into a separate brand to their sedans and you would have a similar situation, where the SUV brand looks way more successful.

MDarringer - 8/22/2017 8:19:22 AM

0 Boost

OK so if he is not an idiot then he is morally reprehensible. He took advantage of American tax dollars to revitalize Maserati and Alfa-Romeo--failing on both accounts by producing mediocre products--and then starving Dodge and Chrysler to the point that both brands are for all intents and purposes dead. He will sell them for pennies causing their demise and go to Italy where the the Italians will cheer him for f'ing over the Americans.

As for his business acumen, that's debatable. FCA has mountainous debt despite what Sergio says.

Firewombat - 8/22/2017 9:12:05 AM

+2 Boost

As the saying goes, it's just business, try not to take it personally, auto industry is cut-throat and executives have to constantly make difficult decisions to stay alive and/or keep their shareholders happy. Sometimes they make decisions to act illegally on or to do so, like VAG.

Firewombat - 8/22/2017 9:27:39 AM

+2 Boost

*in order

TomM - 8/21/2017 11:02:32 AM

+5 Boost

Sergio is not going to sell Jeep - the money maker - UNLESS he is offered more money for Jeep than he wants for the entire company.

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 8/21/2017 11:18:42 AM

+2 Boost

It would be crazy to sell Jeep. FCA should be sold as one lot. Not attractive to the purchaser, but much better for the holding company and shareholders. Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa-Romeo should be under one umbrella sharing platforms, engines and technology.

Firewombat - 8/21/2017 3:06:07 PM

+2 Boost

Apparently he hasn't included Alfa-Romeo and Maserati in the sales discussion, reports are they will be spun off into a separate company

MDarringer - 8/21/2017 8:31:11 PM

-2 Boost

@Firewombat Indeed Alfarati is off the table. Sergio raped Chrysler to do the Giorgio platform mongrel so "protecting" those brands from the Chinese will come off as heroic to the Italians and walking away with the platform is icing on the cake. Pissing away Jeep and Ram the the Chinese and releasing fecal material on Chrysler and Dodge is just a part of doing business.

malba2367 - 8/21/2017 12:07:23 PM

+4 Boost

This is non-news.....Almost any carmaker out there with enough money would salivating over the proposition of buying Jeep as a stand alone entity.

malba2367 - 8/21/2017 12:07:24 PM

+2 Boost

This is non-news.....Almost any carmaker out there with enough money would salivating over the proposition of buying Jeep as a stand alone entity.

MDarringer - 8/21/2017 8:31:37 PM

-1 Boost

I'm hoping Hyundai will buy Jeep and Ram.

Firewombat - 8/23/2017 4:54:54 AM

+2 Boost

I really think they should