VW Wants No Part of a FCA Merger
CEO Matthias Mueller laughs off a seemingly legitimate gesture.
Volkswagen may be in the middle of a transition, but according to CEO Matthias Mueller, they don't need any help. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne recently reached out to the world's largest automaker to suggest a possible merger, but Mueller wasn't having any of it.
"We are not ready for talks about anything ... we have other problems. I haven't seen Marchionne for months."
This statement alone shows VW's intentions. Plainly put, they're focusing on developing their brand to a point of popularity so that consumers can hopefully forget about Dieselgate woes of yesteryear. After all, it seemed to work well last years with VW beating out Toyota in global sales.
This isn't Marchionne's first merger rodeo. He's proposed co-ops with the likes of GM in the past, opening up a line of communication for hopeful future talks. Whether that be a claim supporting FCA's willingness or weakness, I'm not sure.
Although we often see a lot left on the table in situations like these, I think it's fair to say that Mueller made his plans clear. For now, his company must continue on to handle the normal operations of product quality, recalls, and legal exercises to ensure payback to the U.S. government including helping the state of California develop their electric fill-up infrastructure.
