MILAN — Fiat and Chrysler chief executive Sergio Marchionne on Friday proposed a joint venture with Chrysler to build Alfa Romeo and Jeep brand vehicles at Turin’s Mirafiori auto plant.
The proposal to produce Jeeps and Alfa Romeos for the European and export markets is the first significant step toward integration in Europe between the Italian and U.S. automakers since Fiat took control of Chrysler with a 20 percent stake in June 2009.
In the U.S., Fiat has launched the iconic, subcompact 500 and has started to build engines with Fiat technology at U.S. plants.
The proposal is part of his efforts to reach more flexible work agreements at Italy’s plants as a condition for $26.64 billion in investments for Italy.
Fiat said in a statement that Fiat and Chrysler would invest $1.3 billion in the Mirafiori plant, proportional to the volumes produced by each brand.
