DETROIT — If Chrysler LLC and Fiat Group SpA can work out an alliance in the next two weeks or so, Chrysler would be run by a new board appointed by the U.S. government and Fiat, Chrysler’s top executive said in a message to employees.
Chief executive Robert Nardelli, in an e-mail sent late Thursday, told Chrysler’s 54,000 workers that the majority of directors will be independent and not employed by either Fiat or Chrysler.
The new board, Nardelli wrote, would pick a CEO “with Fiat’s concurrence,” casting doubt on his own future as head of the struggling Auburn Hills, Mich., automaker. The e-mail obtained by The Associated Press did not say if Nardelli plans to stay with the company should it join with Fiat.
Sergio Marchionne, CEO of the Italian automaker, told reporters earlier this week that he could run Chrysler.
Chrysler is surviving on $4 billion in U.S. government loans, and the government has decided Chrysler can’t stay in business without a partner. Chrysler has until April 30 to work out a deal with Fiat and gain concessions from its unions and debt holders or it will likely be liquidated.
The government says it will provide no more money beyond April 30, and it’s unlikely private capital would be available to fund a bankruptcy reorganization.
The Canadian government also has said it won’t provide further aid to Chrysler unless it reaches a deal with its Canadian workers in the next two weeks.
