CEO Mark Fields: Ford is not interested in tie-up with Fiat Chrysler

Ford is not interested in a tie-up with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Chief Executive Mark Fields stated on Saturday, when asked about FCA head Sergio Marchionne’s remark from the last week that Ford could be a possible merger candidate.

“I cannot speak with what Sergio or others get up and want to state,” Fields told reporters ahead of next week’s Beijing motor show.

After being rebuffed by General Motors (GM.N) in 2015, Marchionne stated recently that Ford, Toyota Motor Corp (7203. T) and Volkswagen AG VOWG_P. DE are the only remaining merger prospects for FCA.

Marchionne has long required mergers amongst huge automakers to assist diffuse advancement costs for advanced vehicles that contaminate less.

Fields mostly restated a written statement Ford provided last week, stating: “I can just say we have no interest aside from performing our plan, providing item quality and driving innovation in every part of our business. That is our sole focus.”

Speaking in Beijing, Fields stated the firm sees 23.5 million to 25.5 million automobile sales for the total Chinese market this year, representing flat to small growth over 2015.

Fields declined to provide a target for Ford China sales for this year. Ford’s China sales gained 14 percent in the first 3 months of the year to 314,454 units, exceeding 6 percent development for the overall market.

The U.S. automaker has actually been secured a dead heat for fifth-largest in passenger car sales with Toyota and Nissan in China, as per China Association of Automobile Manufacturers data. It overtook the Japanese automakers in sales for the first quarter this year after completing behind for 2015.