Rommel Dumlao
$8/hr
Content specialist/writer
- Reply rate:
- 44.44%
- Availability:
- Full-time (40 hrs/wk)
- Age:
- 52 years old
- Location:
- Pasig City, NCR, Philippines
- Experience:
- 10 years
Technical news reports
Marchionne: 100% EV model to be revealed soon
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO Sergio Marchionne said that they will be launching a fully electric vehicle (EV) model at CES, formerly Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, Nevada in January 2017. Based on a report by Bloomberg, the car will be based on the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica model that was launched at the 2016 Detroit auto show in Michigan. The Pacifica model is also being used by the carmaker to design self-driving vehicle systems in collaboration with technology firm Google.
The pronouncement shows a shift in Marchionne’s strategy as he previously claimed that investing in EVs will not be profitable in the near term. When they launched their electric model Fiat 500e, he claimed that it was only meant to comply with the zero-emission vehicle law in California.
In related news, Automotive News reported that FCA is also developing a Maserati EV sports car that will compete against Tesla’s EV models. In an interview with Car and Driver, Marchionne said that the EV could be launched in 2019.
The auto industry is expected to experience major regulatory and technology changes in the near future and FCA’s partnership with tech giant Google is seen as a strategy to cope with future developments due to its limited resources. The company posted a net industrial debt of $6.9 billion in the third quarter of 2016.
