Howes: Fiat Chrysler turns to Silicon Valley to catch up on technology

Detroit News business columnist Daniel Howes has been reviewing the landscape of automobiles, high-tech, and next-generation mobility and finds Fiat Chrysler’s top guy Sergio Marchionne is lagging.

Over the past year, Fiat Chrysler’s shares have been down by 40 percent. Howes says they do not make as much money as General Motors and Ford in North America. They are also trailing in research of autonomous vehicles. Fiat Chrysler only recently cut a deal with Google that allows them to use new minivans to test Google technology.

However, Howes says not to count out Marchionne. “He is one of the shrewdest deal makers I’ve ever seen in this industry.”