Just ask Sergio Marchionne, the top man at both Fiat and Chrysler, as someone did during the Detroit auto show this week. Actually, the question in a room full of 50 journalists from around the world went more like this: "Would you consider selling Ferrari to finance expansion of Fiat?"
Marchionne, who talks more a university professor giving a tutorial on the motor business than a CEO barking out the usual whip-crack one- sentence replies, has the whole room laughing within a minute. "Imagine I have a can of caviar and 12 rotten eggs in the fridge," says the Canadian-Italian chief with the grubby stubble beard and a taste for cigarettes.
"Why would I sell the can of caviar to buy another 12 rotten eggs? I still cannot make an omlette." Then a pause, just for a couple of seconds. "No, Ferrari is not for sale."
Marchionne goes on like this for just on an hour, fielding questions about everything from the chance of his snapping up Opel to the chances of a Fiat-backed start-up car in Turkey to he sales figures in Mexico. He even has a couple of lines on Australia. "I love the country. I’ve been there, I love it, but then I never do anything for you," he says, before promising more right-hand drive cars and a better supply line Fiat and Ferrari fans down under.
Here are some Sergio gems, on a range of topics. Is he having talks with Peugeot about some sort of alliance? "We have not discussed a damn thing."
What about building truly elegant new Fiats and Alfas? "Small, diverse and beautiful means nothing. You are going to be small and maybe non-existent."
How does he see global car sales in 2012 and beyond? "Making a forecast in this environment is almost impossible. My best estimate is a flat line on volumes from 2011 to 2014. And that's my view of the best scenario, it could be worse. We are playing with fire."
After an hour in the hot seat, Marchionne wraps with a single sentence before walking away without even a thankyou or a goodbye. "I've been talking for too long," he says.
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