Would Fiat Chrysler retain its headquarters in Auburn Hills? The current Italian American automaker is incorporated in the Netherlands, headquartered in London and retains major operations in Auburn Hills and Turin, Italy, the home of the Fiat brand. Likewise, the combination of FCA and PSA would be domiciled in the Netherlands and continue to have operational headquarters in Auburn Hills, Paris and Turin.
combination will benefit its members and it is looking forward to hearing more details. The labor contract that UAW members ratified a week ago with FCA continues to include job security provisions in the instances of a merger, a union spokesman previously said. FCA’s previously announced investments, including the construction of a new assembly plant in Detroit, will not be affected. As for salaried employees, 20% of the expected $4.1 billion in cost savings is expected from the combination will result from redundancies in marketing, information technology, logistics and other areas, the companies said. But Groupe PSA does not have a retail presence in North America. Most of the cuts are expected to occur in Europe where there is overlap.
Are Fiat Chrysler employees’ jobs in jeopardy? Executives repeated statements from October that there would be no plant closures or loss of manufacturing jobs as a result of the transaction. United Auto Workers Vice President Cindy Estrada said the union hopes the
What does this mean for Fiat Chrysler buyers? The combined company is expected to maintain all 13 brands that Fiat Chrysler and PSA currently operate. The companies, however, plan to shrink the number of vehicle platforms they operate. Two platforms
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US Jobs
provided to investors refers to the entity colloquially as “DutchCo,” but Fiat Chrysler representatives assured that is not the official title.
are expected to be the basis twothirds of the combined entity’s run for small and compact/mid-size vehicles. The convergence of these platforms could been seen starting in 20 months following the deal’s closure, the executives said. U.S. consumers could see the implementation of PSA’s technology and electrification platform in Fiat Chrysler vehicles, Manley said. The combination perhaps could speed the introduction of brands like Peugeot, Citroën, Opel and Vauxhall into North America. In 2016, PSA had established a ten-year goal to reenter the U.S. retail market. “We see the strength of FCA in North America,” Tavares said. “We have 12 months ahead of us to think what we would do after closing. So far it is premature. This is something that we will have to consider.” We thank The Detroit News for reprint permission.
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Continued from Cover
Vehicle Scanning
now say they are at least negotiating to be paid for vehicle scans, and 88% say they are being paid regularly when they do. “There are very few shops not seeking to be paid, particularly for post-repair scanning.” said industry trainer and consultant Mike Anderson of Collision Advice. “This is different from some of the other ‘not-included’ procedures where a significant percentage of shops aren’t getting paid because they’re not seeking to be paid. But the industry also needs to keep in mind that an insurer refusing to pay for a scan does not remove a shop’s liability for not conducting one.” The first of the four 2019 “Who Pays for What?” surveys, which focuses on “not-included” refinish operations, is open now through the end of January at: www.surveymonkey .com/r/JHPCT8B. To find the results of previous survey, please visit crashnetwork .com/collisionadvice.
Audi Debuts the Audi AI:ME, a Fully-Automated Car With ‘Empathetic’ AI by John Loeffler, Interesting Engineering
Audi introduced their latest concept vehicle at CES 2020, the Audi AI:ME, exploring the company’s vision for the autonomous luxury car we can expect to see in the coming years. The AI:ME, accord-
Credit: Audi
ing to the company, will represent the “third living space” alongside the home and the workplace of the consumer. Audi AI:ME Gives Occupants the ‘Audi Intelligence Experience’ The Audi AI:ME, the company’s newest concept car, debuted at CES 2020 to explore Audi’s vision for 28
the future of luxury vehicles in the coming autonomous future. Pushing beyond a standard AI interface, Audi is hoping to push their in-car AI system to another level of interactivity and sophistication. Hoping to create an “empathetic” AI, the company said that AI:ME “knows its user and their habits and uses intelligent functions combined with artificial intelligence to increase the passengers’ safety, wellbeing, and comfort... In the future, the car will also conduct a precise analysis as to the functions and settings that its user prefers, ranging from the seat position, media, route guidance, and temperature to the fragrance of the interior. After a short time, the empathetic Audi is familiar with the user’s preferences and implements them autonomously.” We thank Interesting Engineering for reprint permission.
FEBRUARY 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com
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