Fiat CEO Eyes Opel Deal After Chrysler

Italian automaker Fiat SpA's next project is a deal with Germany's Opel after a landmark alliance with U.S. car maker Chrysler, Fiat's chief executive said in an interview published on Friday. Sergio Marchionne told La Stampa newspaper that Fiat also remained committed to Italy but needed to work with the government and unions on "structural problems". Fiat sealed an industry-changing deal with Chrysler, the smallest of Detroit's Big Three automakers, on Thursday. Fiat will take an initial 20 percent stake in Chrysler, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Even with the Chrysler deal, "I have never given up for a second my commitment to the Italian system", said Marchionne, who has spoken of the need for consolidation in the car industry. "Together with the unions and the government we must be able to face up to the structural problems responsibly, remaining faithful to the commitments to workers", he said. Read more.