Marchionne Might Merge Chrysler and Lancia

The littlest things could reflect the biggest changes. Detroit saw a Lancia Delta with a Chrysler badge. Who knew that it was a sign that Fiat is looking into merging the two badges together.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that it is likely that Chrysler and Lancia will be merging by the year’s end.

“We could see the two converge as early as the end of the year,” said Marchionne.

The move actually makes a lot of sense. Fiat is currently nursing several brands including all of Chrysler’s with many producing similarly positioned vehicles. Lancia is currently one of Fiat’s weaker brands and a merger can probably help offset the stigmas that plague each of the brands.

Besides, didn’t Top Gear consider Lancia the best car maker in history? That should help boost Chrysler’s cred, right?