[kach22i]

NPR had nothing but good things to say about him, turned Chrysler around after the bailout, brought Fiat back to life........................guess it all had a price.

They said FCA didn't have a presence in China that they wanted, and that was next on the to do list.

Fiat Chrysler
The death of Sergio Marchionne leaves a big gap at FCA
https://www.economist.com/news/business-and-finance/21746886-will-mike-manley-measure-up-his-predecessor-death-sergio-marchionne-leaves-big-gap

THE question of who would replace Sergio Marchionne has been in the air for a year or more, ever since the chief executive of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced that he would step down in 2019. But the way the answer came was both shocking and sad. Mr Marchionne’s death, at the age of 66, was announced on July 25th, the result of complications after an operation. A sudden deterioration in his health had already forced FCA’s board to meet on July 21st to confirm that Mike Manley, boss of the Jeep and Ram brands, would take his place.......................

Mr Marchionne will be a difficult act to follow. He is regarded as one of the all-time stars of the car industry. Having rescued Fiat from near-bankruptcy in 2004, he then repeated the trick at Chrysler, acquired in the wake of the financial crisis in 2009. Hard-working even by the standards of big-name chief executives, he claimed that his customary garb of a crumpled black sweater saved him wasting time choosing a suit. He could be blunt, but he was also erudite, witty and outspoken in an era when bosses have become ever more wary of courting controversy....................

FCA’s new leadership and Mr Elkann have more big decisions ahead, above all whether the world’s seventh-largest carmaker is big enough to survive in an era of autonomy and electrification. The list of potential partners is dwindling. Most of the big Western carmakers already have enough on their plates to consider a mega-merger as well; China’s emergent giants lack the cash to buy FCA. Mr Marchionne’s feat is that he built a group that is for now strong enough to stand alone, if it has to.