FCA committed to right-hand drive

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) retains a long-term commitment to right-hand drive markets – at least with some of its brands.

That was the take-out from undertakings delivered by new FCA Australia boss, Kevin Flynn (pictured), just days after General Motors pulled the pin on the Holden brand and all RHD markets two weeks ago.

Talking (under embargo) to carsales late last month, Flynn left no wriggle room regarding the US-Italian giant’s long-term plans for Jeep’s and other FCA brands’ right-hand drive products.

He stopped short, however, of talking about any future for factory RHD RAMs and the like.

“Right-hand drive is still a fundamental of our [global] business and at the end of the day, the level of focus that has come on Australia from an FCA perspective is right from the very, very top,” Flynn told carsales.

“I've been here six months so I’d say the first four were fact-finding… but a good two months was based on planning and putting that into some kind of a strategy and then getting global board sign-off.

“So, the level of interest in Australia’s success moving forward is huge because it is a big part, and should be a bigger part, of our right-hand drive strategy,” Flynn revealed.

While brands like GM seem happy to step aside from right-hand drive marketplaces, Flynn says: “FCA has still got appetite [for right-hand drive].

“And Australia is key to making sure that we can remain successful in some of the right-hand drive markets where we are very, very strong. Japan is a classic,” he stated.

Flynn says both the UK and India are also potential growth targets for FCA, particularly via Jeep and, in India at least, Fiat.

“[There’s growth] In the UK as well. And obviously my previous project, India, there’s big aspirations for what we could be there and then also then how that Indian operation and the [production] plant there could be a right-hand drive hub.”

In contrast to right-hand-drive Charger and Challenger ‘carrots’ dangled by his predecessors, Flynn says the right-hand drive focus sits firmly in the Jeep camp – at least for the time being.

“The focus at the moment is definitely Jeep.

“[We] Worked very, very hard in the time I was in India to try and get a right-hand drive Fiat range again… but every project has got to be viable, every project has got to be sustainable, and Jeep seemed to be the better answer…

“The value equation was far more sensible to do Jeep, launch Jeep [into India], and then also do right-hand drive Jeep out of that plant,” Flynn explained.

Still, Flynn is quietly confident FCA will keep some US performance presence in the Australian marketplace, at least via the Chrysler 300 SRT including specials like the Pacer.

“I just think we can have a bit of fun with that so let’s see how we develop that. We’ve still got some traction with the SRT Chrysler 300 as well -- they're still sort of finding homes without too much effort.

“So there's still an enthusiast element, so while that enthusiast element exists we’re going to work with it and support it and make sure we’ve got products that fill that niche,” Flynn told carsales.