菲亞特提高對克萊斯勒的控股權

????去年，馬基奧尼行使了從VEBA購買克萊斯勒股權的權利（VEBA是克萊斯勒退休員的醫療福利信托基金）。本次購買的3.3%的股權，使菲亞特對克萊斯勒的控股權提高到了68.49%。為了達成這次收購，他使用了一些新債務和再融資債務作為權益之計。馬基奧尼希望能完全控制克萊斯勒，以便利用克萊斯勒的資產促進菲亞特的發展。馬基奧尼有權增持克萊斯勒的股權至75%，只要他能在2014年7月前完成收購。現在他還在與VEBA就剩余股份的價格談判。VEBA認為這些股份價值103億美元，而馬基奧尼認為它們只值42億美元，最終結果將由特拉華州的一個法院裁定。

與美國公路交通安全管理局對著干

????美國交通安全管理局（NHTSA）近日要求克萊斯勒召回270萬輛吉普車型，原因是它們存在油箱泄漏隱患，可能導致車輛追尾后起火燃燒。而馬基奧尼居然決定與美國交通安全管理局對著干，據稱他認為吉普追尾后的起火燃燒率并不高于其它車型。為了表明自己的態度，馬基奧尼還應美國交通運輸部部長雷?拉胡德的要求與他在芝加哥進行了會面。會后，克萊斯勒同意召回156萬輛較老的吉普車型，以安裝能夠保護油箱的拖車掛鉤裝置，把剩下的270萬輛汽車納入一項不那么嚴重的“客戶服務活動”——無論從哪個角度來看，馬基奧尼都獲得了顯著的勝利。

與中國合作伙伴“斗智斗勇”

????從某個角度看，馬基奧尼好像正在和中國合作伙伴——廣汽集團（Guangzhou Automobile Group）斗智斗勇。克萊斯勒打算2014年在中國生產10萬輛新吉普車型，但是由于中國政府對外國汽車廠商的特殊準入政策，克萊斯勒必須要與一家中國國內廠商合資才能建廠造車。大概為了避免廣汽集團占地利而在合作中一家獨大，馬基奧尼決定來個“狡兔三窟”。據路透社（Reuters）報道，馬基奧尼稱：“在中國，我們有一個很好的合作伙伴，而且我們也存在利用第二個合作伙伴發展吉普的可能性。”他補充道，雖然一切都不確定，但是他已經收到了“幾家中國廠商表示出的興趣”。如果他想在與廣汽的合同中榨取更多的價值，那么這番虛張聲勢可謂極為有效。

????馬基奧尼的這些招數究竟有多少效果，現在仍是未知。德拉華州法庭對股權收購價的判決可能還等上幾個月。遭遇一些負面輿論后，馬基奧尼可能會發現與美國交通安全管理局周旋變得愈發困難了。但我們也應該表揚他身先士卒、沖鋒陷陣的勇氣。通用汽車CEO丹?阿克森喜歡把自己比作羅斯福總統那樣的“競技場上的勇士，臉上滿是傷痕、灰塵、汗水和鮮血”，而現在馬基奧尼正是這樣一個活生生的例子。（財富中文網）

????譯者：樸成奎

Fiat boosts its stake in Chrysler

????For the past year, Marchionne has been exercising options to buy Chrysler shares from VEBA, the medical benefits trust for Chrysler's retirees. His latest purchase of 3.3% increases Fiat's ownership to 68.49%. He's using new and refinanced debt as a stopgap to make the purchase. Marchionne wants full control of Chrysler so he can use its finances to help prop up Fiat, and he has the right to increase Fiat's stake to 75% if he can get it done by July 2014. He's still fighting with VEBA over the price of the remaining shares. VEBA thinks they are worth $10.3 billion; Marchionne $4.2 billion. The difference will be settled by a Delaware court.

Marchionne takes on NHTSA

????In a highly unusual move, Marchionne decided to fight a federal recall of 2.7 million Jeeps for fuel-tank leaks that cause fires in rear-end collisions. Marchionne was said to believe that Jeep's rate of fatal rear-impact crashes was no greater than the rate for other vehicles. To make his case, Marchionne met face-to-face with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, at LaHood's request, at a sit-down in Chicago. After the meeting, Chrysler agreed to recall only some 1.56 million older-model Jeeps, so that it can install trailer hitches that protect the gas tank, and designate the rest of the 2.7 million as part of a less-onerous "customer service action" -- by all appearances a considerable victory for Marchionne.

Marchionne messes with the heads of his China partners

????From a distance, it looked like Marchionne was playing mind games with his Chinese partner, Guangzhou Automobile Group. Chrysler aims to produce more than 100,000 new Jeep models in China in 2014, and under government rules for foreign automakers, it must pair up with a domestic company to build them. Just in case GAG thought it had an inside track for the deal, Marchionne decided to rattle its cage. "In China we have a good partner, and we have the possibility to use a second one to develop Jeep," he was quoted by Reuters as saying. He added that nothing was certain but that he had had "a number of expressions of interest" from other Chinese automakers. If he wanted to extract better terms from GAG for the deal, he couldn't have used a more effective bluff.

????How effective all this will be is unclear. The Delaware court's decision on share prices is still to come and could take months, and Marchionne will likely find it harder to tangle with NHTSA again after getting some negative press. But give him all the credit for being there in the public eye, leading from the front. General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) CEO Dan Akerson likes to fashion himself after Teddy Roosevelt as "the man in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood." But Sergio Marchionne is actually living like one.