Alliance fever seems to have struck the automotive industry as PSA CEO Carlos Tavares is reportedly eyeing partners to help expand the company’s reach outside of Europe.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg says PSA is looking at potential collaborations or mergers with several other automakers. The discussions are said to be “very preliminary,” but it appears Tavares is fond of a potential partnership with either General Motors or Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. A partnership would GM would be particularly interesting as PSA acquired Opel and Vauxhall from them in 2017.
It appears GM and FCA aren’t the only potential possibilities either as Jaguar Land Rover is also rumored to be an option. However, their influence in the US market is considerably less than either GM or FCA.
It remains unclear if GM or JLR are interested, but FCA CEO Mike Manley hinted he was open to the possibility. In a separate report, Bloomberg says the executive used to the Geneva Motor Show to say he would look at “any deal that would make Fiat stronger.”
While Manley appears open to discussions, any potential deal would likely require extensive discussions. These would undoubtedly be complex and involve hammering out details about possible areas for cooperation and potentially joint projects.
What happens next remains unclear, but the latest round of merger madness seems to have been sparked by the global alliance between Ford and Volkswagen. Announced back in January, the partnership will see the two companies develop commercial vans and medium-sized pickups together. These models will be created for global markets and the first vehicles are slated to arrive as early as 2022. Ford and Volkswagen are also exploring other areas of cooperation including autonomous and electric vehicles as well as mobility services.
