Published

FCA May Sell Magneti Marelli to Samsung Electronics

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is in talks to sell all or part of its Magneti Marelli parts business to Samsung Electronics Co., sources tell Bloomberg News.
#electronics

Share

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is in talks to sell all or part of its Magneti Marelli parts business to Samsung Electronics Co., sources tell Bloomberg News. Neither company has commented.

One source says the deal could be worth more than $3 billion and be completed by year-end. A sale would help FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne bankroll the company’s ambitious five-year product development plan. 

Samsung is especially interested in Magneti Marelli’s telematics, lighting and in-car entertainment operations, according to the news service. The overture is being led by Lee Jae Yong, Samsung Electronics' 48-year old vice chairman. Bloomberg notes that he has been a board member of Exor, FCA’s controlling shareholder, for four years.

Lee is refocusing Samsung, which is South Korea’s largest company. Last December Samsung set up a team to pursue automotive-related business opportunities, including in-car infotainment and autonomous driving. In July the company bought a stake in Chinese electric carmaker BYD Co. Ltd.

The two companies have collaborated on automotive projects since 2009. Among Magneti Marelli’s areas of expertise are connectivity, telematics and navigation. It also produces engine, transmission and suspension components.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Autoline After Hours: The 2020 Cadillac XT6

    Cadillac currently has three non-car vehicles in its lineup, the imposing and possibly venerable Escalade, the XT5, which started its existence as the SRX and is now crushing it in the market, and the most recent, the compact XT4, which is in a sweet spot for those looking to get into the premium portion of the market.

  • Chevy Develops eCOPO Camaro: The Fast and the Electric

    The notion that electric vehicles were the sort of thing that well-meaning professors who wear tweed jackets with elbow patches drove in order to help save the environment was pretty much annihilated when Tesla added the Ludicrous+ mode to the Model S which propelled the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds.

  • Lincoln Corsair Takes Flight

    “We wanted to create a dramatic, youthful Lincoln with terrific harmony.” And with the Corsair, they’ve accomplished what they set out to do.

Gardner Business Media - Strategic Business Solutions