Fiat plans to co-operate with Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi on pickup trucks, enabling the Italian company to add to its lineup while conserving cash after merging with U.S. manufacturer Chrysler.
Under a memo of understanding on the project, Mitsubishi will build as many as 170,000 trucks for Fiat over six years, with production beginning in the first quarter of 2016, Yuki Murata, a spokesman at the Tokyo-based company, said by phone. The mid-sized model will be based on the next version of Mitsubishi’s L200, Turin-based Fiat said in a statement.
Fiat plans to combine with Chrysler later this year in a reorganization that will shift the corporate headquarters to London and move the main stock listing to New York, with the merged company focusing on higher-end cars. Chrysler sells Ram heavy-duty pickups, and its Jeep nameplate is developing a model. The Italian manufacturer’s main pickup offering is the Stada from the Fiat Professional light commercial-vehicle unit.
Mitsubishi’s cooperation projects with European partners include an accord reached last November to co-operate with French carmaker Renault SA and Japanese partner Nissan Motor Co. on sharing technology and manufacturing capacity, with two sedans to be based on Renault models. Mitsubishi also has an agreement with Paris-based PSA Peugeot Citroen to develop electric versions of the French company’s light commercial vehicles.
