There is a new article over on Bloomberg Businessweek that the right wing blogosphere is already freaking out about (Warning - Free Republic link.)
What's the big news? It seems that Fiat is not going to meet its target in Europe this year, and may be on track to lose 700 million Euros this year.
Fiat’s problems are bigger than many rivals’ because its troubled home country accounts for half its sales in the region. Its plants in Italy, where car sales are on pace to plunge this year to the lowest level in more than three decades, are running at 50 percent of capacity, far below the 80 percent threshold typically considered profitable.
To counter the severe slump in European sales, Marchionne is considering building Chrysler models in Italy, including Jeeps, for export to North America. The Italian government is evaluating tax rebates on export goods to help Fiat. Marchionne may announce details of his plan as soon as Oct. 30, the people said.
Note what is not said here. There is no word of moving jobs out of the United States, no word of cutting back on US production. Technically, there is nothing indicating that these cars would be shipped to the good old US of A - really, we are not all of North America.
Nonetheless, let the Freakout commence! At the National Legal and Policy Center website, we see the spin that they will be using
According to the piece, "To counter the severe slump in European sales, (Fiat CEO Sergio) Marchionne is considering building Chrysler models in Italy, including Jeeps, for export to North America. The Italian government is evaluating tax rebates on export goods to help Fiat. Marchionne may announce details of his plan as soon as Oct. 30, the people said."
So, let's be real clear here, we are talking about vehicles that will be built in Italy and exported to America. The evidence is clear that Fiat is looking at ways to move production of vehicles from the US to elsewhere, whether it be China or Italy, costing American jobs. This is becoming indisputable, despite outcries from certain parties to the contrary.
*sigh* Be prepared for the next wild freakout, coming to a Fox News station near you.