Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller stated he did not eliminate he might hold merger talks with Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, in a significant change of tone by the German automaker towards its Italian-American peer.
“I am not dismissing a discussion,” Mueller told journalists after Volkswagen’s annual results press conference.
Just recently, Mueller appeared to dismiss the possibility of talks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), stating VW had enough on its plate as it struggled to leave its emissions scandal behind and push an extensive business transformation.
“We are not ready for talks about,” he had informed Reuters on the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show last week. “I have not seen Marchionne for months,” he included.
Marchionne has long advocated vehicle industry mergers to share the expenses of making cleaner and more technically advanced automobiles and has repeatedly communicated his desire by means of the media.
“It would be very useful if Mr. Marchionne were to communicate his considerations to me too and not just to you,” Mueller stated.
The acquisition of General Motors’ Opel division by PSA Group leaves Fiat Chrysler in a progressively hard position in Europe.
