Daimler took the Beijing plant with it, among other assets, when it sold Chrysler.
Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group will build Jeep models in the middle kingdom, according to a revised joint venture signed in Michigan today with Fiat S.p.A. GAC already manufactures the Fiat Viaggio – aka Dodge Dart – and distributes the imported Fiat 500, Freemont minivan and Bravo in China.
The agreement was signed at Chrysler Headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan by Zeng Qinghong, General Manager of GAC Group, and Mike Manley, Chief Operating Officer for Asia Pacific region, Fiat S.p.A., and President and CEO of Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group.
GAC will expand its operations in steps to allow the manufacture of more models from the Fiat. After Fiat, the next brand to be “localized” by the GAC Fiat JV (translation: built in China to escape punitive Communist government tariffs that protect the local industry) will be Chrysler Group’s Jeep brand.
“Following the successful launch of the first product of our JV, the Fiat Viaggio launched last September, this agreement is another milestone of our partnership with Fiat and Chrysler Group. It definitely creates the basis for our JV to reach very ambitious objectives in Chinese market,” said Qinghong.
