So Now Müller Says He’s Open to a Deal with FCA

The weird saga of VW and FCA’s potentially non-existent maybe future merger talks has taken another turn, as VW’s CEO, Matthias Müller has softened his stance against a merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

The conversation started last week as FCA boss, Sergio “Merger Lover” Marchionne told the press that he wouldn’t be surprised if VW called him offering to merge, a comment itself prompted by the sale of Opel to French conglomerate, PSA (Peugeot-Citroen), which makes that company the second biggest automaker in Europe.

Asked about the comment in Geneva, though, Müller was pretty dismissive of the idea, saying “We have other problems,” and explaining that he and Marchionne hadn’t spoken in months.

But now Müller has told the press that he isn’t totally against the idea, it’s just that he would prefer to make a deal with Marchionne in person, rather than through headlines.

“I am not ruling out a conversation,” Müller told reporters at a VW press conference today, later adding “It would be very helpful if Mr Marchionne were to communicate his considerations to me too and not just to you.”

So it again looks like that VW Ram 1.3 tonne we’ve all been waiting breathlessly for could become a reality.

Whatever the case, VW doesn’t feel like it needs bailing out. Following record sales in 2016 and a strong projection for 2017, Müller says that he is “pretty confident about the future of Volkswagen, with or without Marchionne.”

[source: Reuters]

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