He joined with Italy's Agnelli family, which controls the Fiat industrial group, in a friendly counter-bid for Worms.

ECONOMIST: Insurance mergers in Europe

Mr Marchionne believes that spinning off Fiat Industrial, which will include CNH, a producer of farming and construction equipment and Iveco, a truckmaker, will give those businesses, which currently account for 35% of group sales, greater visibility.

ECONOMIST: A plan for Fiat and Chrysler

Comau, Fiat's industrial-automation arm, will sell Chrysler the kit to retool its factories.

ECONOMIST: Fiat and Chrysler: An Italian lifeline | The

He fired 30, 000 people, launched the successful Peugeot 205 minicar and signed production deals with Renault (industrial vehicles) and Fiat (light trucks).

FORBES: Magazine Article

Only four years ago Fiat, Italy's biggest industrial group, had the look of a company that had given up the will to live.

ECONOMIST: European carmaking

The car company (30%-owned by the Agnellis) is creating an Internet portal, selling everything produced not just by Fiat, but also by the various industrial and financial interests of the Agnellis' separate conglomerate, Ifil.

ECONOMIST: Cars

Fiat's Brazilian plant at Betim, an industrial town in Minas Gerais state, is the firm's largest factory outside Italy.

ECONOMIST: A car is born

Folz has maintained the joint ventures formed by his predecessor with Fiat in light trucks and with Renault in engines, gear boxes and industrial vehicles.

FORBES: Businessman of the Year