Sergio Marchionne wants to build Mazda in Fiat & Chrysler plants

Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne wants to build Mazda cars in Fiat and Chrysler plants around the world.

When Alfa Romeo and Mazda revealed last week that they would be developing a new small roadster together – well, Alfa Romeo would take the next generation MX-5 and sculpt on a new body to make a new Alfa Spider – we suggested Mazda would be better of getting Fiat to build their cars. It seems Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne thinks the same.

In an interview with Reuters Marchionne has said that although Fiat/Chrysler aren’t interested in taking a stake in troubled Mazda they would be very interested in building cars for them. Which makes a whole heap of sense.

One of Mazda’s main issues is the strength of the Japanese Yen, and the only real way round that is to build their cars outside Japan.

On the other side of that coin is Fiat – a European mainstream car maker – suffering from the polarisation of car buying in Europe where the middle (where Fiat and Alfa operate) squeezed as car buyers opt for either premium or budget cars.

Taking on production of Mazda cars in under-utilised Fiat Group facilities in Europe would give Mazda more workable margins (especially at the moment with the state of the Euro) and allow Fiat to keep its plants busy and its trade unions happy.

Sounds like another sensible plan from Marchionne.