Fiat had earlier considered buying Jaguar and Land Rover when Ford had put them up for sale. Fiat was attracted by Jaguar’s powertrains and rear wheel drive platforms, which would have been used for Alfa and the US distribution network of Land Rover. Fiat, though soon realized that it could not handle both these marques while relaunching it’s existing brands.
Fiat remains open to a deal with the new owner of the two brands. With Tata most likely to clinch the deal, Fiat has a better chance of settling the affair. Fiat is backing India based Tata for Jaguar-Rover deal. Fiat and Tata are known to be buddies in India where they lend a helping hand to each other. Jaguar’s rwd platform will be a key element of the Alfa 169.
Fiat CEO Marchionne says:
We have a stunning design for the 169, and we know how to build a rear-drive platform for it. But we would rather buy a suitable platform from one of our competitors to be more cost competitive. We have talks under way with different manufacturers, and I expect a final decision in January.
[Via: Autocar]
