The very big time

21 August 2017 By Pete Sweeney Follow @petesweeneypro

The $19 bln Italian group has bid interest from the Chinese carmaker. Just as Geely’s takeover of Volvo helped it revamp designs, Great Wall could benefit from Fiat’s knowhow, especially at Jeep. But this could seriously stretch the buyer’s finances and management capacity.

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China's Great Wall Motor in interested in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), a Great Wall official told Reuters on Aug. 21. "With respect to this case, we currently have an intention to acquire. We are interested in (FCA)," said the company official, who declined to give his name.

The company's shares have underperformed benchmark indexes in Shanghai and Hong Kong over the last six months, rising 7 percent and 4 percent respectively. Shares in Hong Kong-listed rival Geely Automobile shares have risen 66 percent by way of comparison.

FCA shares have gained about 13 percent since trade publication Automotive News reported last week that the Italian-American group had rebuffed a takeover from an unidentified mainland carmaker.

In a press release issued after Reuters reported Great Wall's interest in FCA, FCA said it had not been approached by Great Wall.

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