ANE added the 48-year-old Sistino would most likely remain with the Fiat Group but that he may not retain his other main responsibilities at FGA as CEO of the Fiat Automobiles and Fiat Professional brands. It is widely believed that Sistino, who previously was responsible for the Group's CNH Global division, could become the CEO of Iveco with current boss, 65-year-old Paolo Monferino, known to be set to leave.

Formica resigned from his Senior Vice-President's position at Toyota yesterday. The Italian started his career with Ford Italia before eventually being promoted to the U.S. carmaker's European headquarters in Cologne. After five years with Ford Europe, in 2002, he moved to Toyota where he has been for the last eight years. Luring Formica to FGA is regarded as a major coup and it has been reported that he is keen to return to his native Italy after holding positions in Cologne and Brussels. It is likely that Formica has been promised a greater leadership role at FGA in the future. Marchionne, who maintains a punishing schedule, still holds the CEO's position at FGA as well as his overall responsibilities as Fiat Group and Chrysler Group CEO.

This is likely to be the first step in yet another senior management reshuffle and responsibility restructuring at Fiat Group, to be announced in more detail in the final lead up to the 79th Paris Mondiale de l'Automobile in just under a month's time. The changes will be rubber stamped during a meeting in Turin at the end of next week and it all comes to a backdrop of the splitting up of the Fiat Group into two separate divisions scheduled for the beginning of next year. The timing is also right as shuffling key management positions ahead of the main European autumn motor show has become almost an annual traditional at Fiat Group.

The position of responsibility for combined sales across the four major Fiat Group Automobiles brands' - Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo and Fiat Professional - was created in January last year during the most recent senior management restructuring. Sistino, the Fiat brand CEO, added overall responsibility for sales as the top positions across FGA were integrated. At the same time Lancia CEO Olivier François took charge of communications (he has since added a similar responsibility at Chrysler Group as well as taking management charge of the Chrysler brand), Daniele Chiari was appointed chief of Product Portfolio Planning & Automotive Institutional Relations, while Sergio Cravero was designated to take control of Product Concept alongside a new role of Alfa Romeo CEO (the latter position he was later relieved from).