Italian automaker Fiat SpA’s next project is a deal with Germany’s Opel, after a landmark alliance with US car maker Chrysler, Fiat’s chief executive said in an interview last Friday. Sergio Marchionne told La Stampa newspaper that Fiat also remained committed to Italy but needed to work with the government and unions on “structural problems.” “Now we have to concentrate on Opel. They are our perfect partner,” said Marchionne, who has emerged as a possible suitor for the German unit of General Motors Corp. (GM). Fiat sealed an industry-changing deal with Chrysler, the smallest of Detroit’s Big Three automakers, last Thursday. Fiat will take an initial 20% stake in Chrysler, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. “The objective is to strengthen Fiat and give Chrysler a chance to clean itself up,” he said. Even with the Chrysler deal, “I have never given up for a second my commitment to the Italian system,” said Marchionne, who has spoken of the need for consolidation in the car industry.
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