STATE OF FCA: DODGE CHALLENGER HITS ITS STRIDE, FIAT A WORK IN PROGRESS
FCA's future has had an air of uncertainty about it as executives past and present have pursued mergers with other automakers. The company's latest thwarted effort was with Renault, and although those talks fell apart, they might not be dead yet. And whereas the future of the Chrysler portion of FCA could be in doubt, the automaker continues to operate as if it's business as usual. Before his death, former CEO Sergio Marchionne finalized a five-year business and product plan that plotted a future for all eight brands, but in that plan four brands were elevated to yeoman's service while the other four were relegated to regional, almost niche status. Jeep , Ram , Alfa Romeo , and Maserati are supposed to do the heavy lifting. Chrysler, Dodge , Fiat, and SRT are the more boutique brands. And their biggest champion, Tim Kuniskis, is back in charge of the lower-tier passenger car brands. Kuniskis is the one who injected his p...