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40 July 2018 | AutoData STRATEGY » FCA couldn’t have been created only by himself. And that his mission since he assumed Fiat, and then FCA, was to develop a strong, healthy and, mainly profitable automotive business model. Once again, Marchionne used in his speech a great writer to translate what he built. He appealed to Ernest Hemingway: “ There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellowmen. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.” For Fiat and Chrysler there is only America left “The space of Fiat in Europe will be redefined. We will act in a new position because it will be very difficult to obtain profitability. In Latin America, we have a historic position with Fiat. And we believe that Chrysler does not have potential to be a global brand.” This little was everything that Sergio Marchionne revealed about what will happen to until then main two FCA brands, ironically the companies that name the group. The focus of the meeting in Balocco and the synthesized testimonial from the CEO show that the time for Fiat to face the hard reality that the time to generate profitability to survive has come. And the same goes for Chrysler, with some relevance only in the US market. For now it is possible to see that Fiat will remain strong in Latin America, especially in Brazil and Argentina, where it concentrates factories and has on the agenda an extensive list of launches. In Europe the company will act only in some niches but it is still too early to know the next steps around there. President of FCA for Latin America since March, Antonio Filosa is the mission leader in the region. He participated in the announcement of the global planning until 2022, sitting in the first row of executives during the presentation in Balocco, and assured that part of the € 45 billion of total investment will be applied in a new cycle of Fiat in Brazil (see the details in From the Top, page 12). Fiat will have three brand-new models produced in Latin America until 2022. And all three will hit the sports utility vehicle range: an SUV with a third-row of seats for up to seven people, another compact SUV, smaller than the Jeep Renegade, and another brand-new model, in the entry-model market segment - possibly a car with adventurous characteristics. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but it is expected that they will be produced at the factory in Betim, MG. The plant should also receive the new generation of the Strada pickup truck, which is almost ready. Fiat’s planning foresees leadership resumption of sales in the Brazilian market only in 2020: “The new vehicles’ portfolio of the brand is fantastic and will drive us there.” Filosa, however, is talking about taking the lead in Brazil in 2018 already, adding in this account, conveniently, the Jeep sales: “Until May, we have achieved an 18.8% market share with the FCA Group brands, an interesting position to be leaders this year and also in 2019”. of each of the top executives of the brands in FCA during the eight-hour convention showed that it was a jointly developed plan as a team. Antonio Filosa, president of FCA for Latin America, confirmed that all senior executives have done the job together. Marchionne, obviously, was always the center of attention and the spokesman of the press conference, which lasted more than an hour. In every moment he made it clear that the plan for the next five years