Was GM About to Merge with FCA?

May 26, 2015 10:06 AM EDT | Matt Mercuro

General Motors supposedly rejected an offer from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles earlier this year to meet and discuss a merger between the two automotive powerhouses.

FCA head Sergio Marchionne sent GM CEO Mary Barra an email in March detailing why global car makers need to come together in order to save money, according to the New York Times.

The bold CEO suggested in the email that a merger would create an automotive force to be reckoned with while saving both companies millions of dollars in costs each year.

Barra and GM executives apparently were not interested in meeting with Marchionne to discuss a merger however and decided to turn Marchionne down, according to the Times, citing "people with knowledge of the email."

"Instead, Mr. Marchionne's request for a meeting on the subject was flatly turned down," the newspaper reported.

This should come as no surprise to those who know Barra's feelings toward merging GM with another company. Earlier this month Bloomberg reported that the first female CEO in GM history feels the Detroit automaker can earn a better return "on its own" than it could by merging with another automaker.

Marchionne will likely continue his quest to merge FCA with another established company though the odds are not in his favor. Ford said in April that it would rather stick with its current business model instead of exploring the idea of a merger, according to Reuters.

The FCA CEO recently met with executives from Tesla Motors and Apple during a trip to California, but he declined to say what was discussed at those meetings officially. 

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