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Chinese Carmaker Great Wall Wants to Snatch Jeep from FCA's Portfolio

Exactly one week ago, rumors of the FCA switching ownership began to run all over the Internet, with the alleged buyers (four of them) all coming from China. That should come as no great surprise considering all the latest transactions in the industry involved companies from the Asian country.
2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk 1 photo
Photo: FCA
Naturally, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles is said to have declined the offer, which was only a tad over the consortium's listed value. The U.S.-Italian alliance might not be doing great, but it's not desperately seeking a bailout either as some of its brands - mostly Jeep and Alfa Romeo - are actually on the rise.

Speaking of the legendary American SUV maker, it would seem one of the said four pretenders has switched its focus from FCA as a whole to just one of its brands. Jeep, to be more exact. The Chinese manufacturer in question is called Great Wall, and you'll be excused if you've never heard this name before: it's almost exclusively active in its domestic market where, granted, it is the country's largest SUV and pickup truck maker.

Automotive News informs us that FCA refused to offer any kind of comments on the subject, but not denying them is as good as saying they are true. However, selling Jeep would be the equivalent of putting the first nail in its own coffin as it's hard to imagine how the company could compete in the U.S. with just Chrysler, Dodge, and Ram.

For Great Wall Motors, on the other hand, it would be the perfect move. The Chinese SUV specialist has a very clear goal: to become the world's largest sports utility vehicle manufacturer in the world, and with that in mind, you can do a lot worse than buying arguably the most iconic brand in the segment.

Xu Hui, a spokesperson for the Chinese company, told Automotive News no formal offer has yet been made, but he confirmed the possibility. "We are deeply interested in the Jeep brand and have paid close attention to it for a long time," Hui said. "Our strategic goal is to become the world's largest SUV maker. Acquiring Jeep, a global SUV brand, would enable us to achieve our goal sooner and better."
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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