But Sergio Marchionne, CEO of both Chrysler and Fiat, says
that Chrysler's brands do not overlap the way that Ford and GM's did. "Jeep is unique, Dodge is a widely popular brand and Ram is about trucks," he says.
In addition, dealers are
balking at the expense of building separate showrooms for the Fiat. "They are going to have to present a compelling story and product to back me investing at least $1 million to build a new showroom,"
says one. Other dealers, however, say they are intrigued and plan to attend a presentation in Detroit next week to learn more.
Marchionne, meanwhile, says he will shop the idea around outside the Chrysler dealer network if he doesn't get sufficient numbers from within.
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