菲亚特CEO高空走钢丝

    如果说菲亚特（Fiat）的CEO塞尔吉奥•马基奥尼知道权力的杠杆在哪里，那么他比任何人都懂得利用它。以过去短短40天为例，他四处奔波，解决菲亚特和克莱斯勒（Chrysler）的各种问题，同时耐心地、一步步地实施他的长期战略规划。今年六月，他除了像往年一样去了菲亚特的都灵总部和克莱斯勒的奥本山之外，还去了芝加哥和威尼斯，一边和美国交管机构巧妙周旋，一边对欧洲工会强力施压，一边还要与中国合作伙伴斗智斗勇。

    自从卡洛斯•高森在2000年前后拯救了日产（Nissan），李•艾柯卡在上世纪80年代将克莱斯勒从破产边缘拯救回来之后，汽车行业已经很久没有见到这样精彩的个人表演了。虽然外界还在质疑菲亚特-克莱斯勒的运营瓶颈、共识管理和接班人计划等问题，但谁都不能否认，马基奥尼的表演是一场精彩的走钢丝，而且还是没有任何保护措施的那种，因此一直吸引着人们的眼球。毕竟马基奥尼当年曾从通用汽车（GM）的里克•瓦格纳手中生生榨出20亿美元，几乎是空手套白狼地收购了克莱斯勒20%的股权，而且之后一直使菲亚特保持着生机。下一步马基奥尼的秋千将荡向何处呢？

    这就更要考验马基奥尼的领导艺术了。时间并没有站在他那一边。菲亚特的前途仍然潜藏着危险，克莱斯勒要想增强竞争力，就要超越现有的吉普（Jeep）和皮卡阵容，扩展轿车产品线，因此要克服的困难还有很多。马基奥尼几乎在以超人的速度推动这两家公司朝着全球大厂商的目标火速前进——也说不定他会在同时盯着六部黑莓手机、听几十个人直接向他汇报工作、抽数不清的香烟的过程中崩溃（万宝路是他最爱的美国香烟品牌）。

    这位爱穿运动衫的CEO最近做了以下事情：

菲亚特提高了在意大利的产量

    马基奥尼计划在意大利生产更多高利润的车型，而投资这家意大利工厂则是这个计划的关键。据《汽车新闻》（Automotive News）报道，克莱斯勒计划在意大利年产28万辆小型SUV，预计将从2014年6月启动生产。其中有15万辆将会贴上Jeep品牌，其余的则挂上菲亚特的品牌。那款Jeep车型的内部代号叫做B-SUV，外观像一辆缩小版的牧马人（Wrangler），将全系提供四驱模式。而另一款菲亚特车型可能会被命名为500X，会同时提供两驱和四驱版。

对工会强力施压

    要想摆脱欧洲汽车业产能过剩的局面，最大的障碍就是各种工会，以及在工会背后支持他们的政客。马基奥尼从不放过挑战他们的机会，在菲亚特与标志汽车（Peugeot）合资10亿美元建设的商用MVP工厂开工典礼上，他又一次挑战了工会。他威胁称，除非工会明确了他们的工作规则，否则他就把新款阿尔法罗密欧汽车（Alfa Romeo）的生产挪到国外去。据彭博社（Bloomberg）报道，马基奥尼对记者说：“阿尔法罗密欧的重新发布已经板上钉钉，意大利应该决定他们到底想不想让它在这个环境里生产，因为菲亚特和克莱斯勒还有其它的替代性选择。”菲亚特决定到2016年为止引入19款在意大利生产的车型，其中包括9款挂阿尔法罗密欧铭牌的车型，以及6款玛莎拉蒂（Maseratis）。如果谁能拿到这些车型的生产任务，价值是无法估量的。

    Does Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne know where the levers of power are, he knows better than anyone how to use them. Take the past 40 days as a for instance. He has been all over the map, taking up issues that guide all his auto companies' day-to-day, at the same time that he patiently notches progress in his long-term strategic plan. In June, he made stops in Chicago and Venice in addition to his regular visits to Fiat's headquarters in Turin and Chrysler's in Auburn Hills and engaged subjects that ranged from U.S. federal safety regulations to European labor laws to cooperative ventures in China.

    It is a dazzling one-man show that the auto industry hasn't seen since Carlos Ghosnrescued Nissan in the early 2000s and Lee Iacocca lifted Chrysler from near-bankruptcy in the 1980s. While it raises obvious questions about operational bottlenecks, consensus management, and succession planning, the Marchionne Flying Circus is a spectacular high-wire act, performed without a net. You can't take your eyes off the action. Marchionne is the one, after all, who squeezed General Motors' Rick Wagoner out of $2 billion, acquired 20% of Chrysler for nothing in 2009, and has kept Fiat alive against all odds. What trapeze will Marchionne swing to next?

    There is more to Marchionne's method than pure theatre. Time is not his friend. Fiat's future remains perilous, and Chrysler has a ways to go before it broadens its car line beyond Jeeps and pickup trucks to become fully competitive. Marchionne is moving with almost superhuman speed to bulk up the two companies to the scale of a global powerhouse -- or collapse under the strain of watching six Blackberrys, dealing with dozens of direct reports, and consuming countless cigarettes. (Marlboros are his favorite U.S brand.)

    Here's what the sweater-clad CEO been up to lately:

Fiat boosts production in Italy

    This assembly plant investment is key to Marchionne's aims to make more high-margin vehicles and build them in Italy if possible. Plans were revealed to Automotive News that Fiat-Chrysler plans to build up to 280,000 small SUVs a year in Italy, with production to start in June 2014. Some 150,000 of the vehicles will be branded Jeeps while the remainder will be called Fiats. The Jeep model, known internally as the B-SUV, looks like a small Wrangler and will be offered as a four-wheel-drive model. The Fiat, perhaps to be named the 500X, will be available with either two- or four-wheel drive, the trade monthly revealed.

Marchionne lays down the law to labor unions

    In the struggle to wring overcapacity out of the European auto industry, the biggest obstacles have been labor unions that block plant closings and the politicians who support them. Marchionne wastes no opportunity to challenge them, and he did so again at the opening of a new $1 billion plant in Italy that Fiat built with Peugeot to assemble commercial vans. There, he threatened to move production of new Alfa Romeo models out of Italy unless he gets clarity on union work rules. "The relaunch of Alfa Romeo will continue for sure," Marchionne told reporters, according to Bloomberg News. "Italy should decide if they want it to happen in this environment or not as Fiat and Chrysler have several alternatives." Fiat intends to introduce 19 Italy-produced models through 2016, including nine Alfa Romeo-badged vehicles and six Maseratis, and the rights to make them will be a valuable prize.