“This week and the months following we will meet with the design studios at Fiat and figure out” what vehicles from the Fiat stable will be adapted to the U.S. market, says Ralph Gilles, Chrysler's Vice President of Design (above with the Chrysler 300 C).

Senior management in the design departments at Fiat and Chrysler will begin meeting together within days to start deciding which vehicles and technology from the Italian firm's range will be adapted for the North American market. On Tuesday the two companies announced an alliance that will result in Fiat taking a 35 percent stake in Chrysler LLC with the option of adding a further 20 percent.

“This week and the months following we will meet with the design studios at Fiat and figure out” what vehicles from the Fiat stable will be adapted to the U.S. market, Ralph Gilles, Chrysler's Vice President of Design told reporters at the Automotive News World Congress. 

Gilles, reported Automotive News, said Fiat is very strong in the smaller A-, B- and C-segments so vehicles that size “make sense for Chrysler.” Fiat Group’s specialist brands, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Maserati brands are not planned to be part of the alliance.

“There may be situations where we can bring their vehicles in as is and there will be great opportunities to do products based on the Fiat DNA,” he said. “When you look at our portfolio, it is somewhat truck heavy, very practical vehicles, SUVs, four-wheel-drive. Great for this climate, but maybe not the overall solution that we need. So they come in and complement us.” Directly re-badging some Fiat vehicles is also an option being studied added AN. “There are some natural fits where it may make sense, but right now we are in a very broad investigation mode. We are looking at all the opportunities,” he said.

The A-segment Fiat 500 may well be imported to North America or manufactured in a Chrysler factory as part of the new alliance. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has often said that he would like to sell the Car of the Year 2008 winner in North America if it could be built locally, and this idea now becomes a real possibility “The Fiat 500 has taken Europe by storm, they can’t make it fast enough,” AN reported Gilles as saying, adding that he and his wife had already tried the car, which has been styled in-house as a modern successor to the original Italian icon. “It is such a fun package. I think Americans, given the chance, will fall in love with this thing,” he said.

Gilles said the all options to collaborate were open between the two companies. “There is a lot of collaboration going on. The guys are really enthusiastic," he told AN. "They want to see what we got, and I want to see what they got. That is pretty much where it is right now,” he said. “The passion inside Fiat is amazing. I mean, from their Formula One cars, the Alfa Romeo lines, the new 500, you can see that design is a real big deal over there. The Italians are known for design. I am pretty enthused by it,” he said.