Marchionne confirms that Chrysler and Lancia will fully merge by the end of this year

Although many may not like it, the “Chrysler Delta” unveiled at the recent Detroit Motor Show, where the American and Italian groups once again shared a stand, is only the beginning of the complete overhaul that Chrysler and Lancia will undergo during 2010. The chief executive of both groups, Sergio Marchionne, told the British magazine Autocar in an interview that these two manufacturers will fully merge by the end of this same year.

This is an idea that has been in the air even before the acquisition of the American group by Fiat was completed, and it has generated a lot of controversy ever since. Chrysler and Lancia have very different traditions and ways of building vehicles, but, according to Marchionne, the merger makes sense because the ranges of both brands have gaps that each can fill for the other.

To elaborate on this statement, Marchionne said: “In Europe, Lancia is a small, underdeveloped brand with nothing larger than the Delta. Chrysler, which has a truly global reach, has nothing smaller. Put them together and you have a full range.” What he did not specify is how the two brands will ultimately complement each other: whether with new models but based on those of the opposite brand, or simply with products like the “Chrysler Delta” that consist solely of changing the logos.

And speaking of the Chrysler Delta, Marchionne confirmed that it will probably end up being sold and becoming part of the Chrysler family in North America, claiming that “there would be no conflict with Lancia”. Finally, he stressed: “I am not going to sell Lancias in the United States“. A major change for Chrysler, which will finally receive the “Italian blood” transfusion some feared, into its veins.

Source | Autocar