The ranking of the largest automakers in the world may change significantly in the very near future.
The analytical company Statista has presented a new rating, which includes the 10 largest automakers in the world. However, it is very likely that in the very near future one significant change may occur in it. The fact is that the companies that, according to the results of sales for 2018, take the seventh and eighth places in this rating - Fiat Chrysler and Renault - are on the verge of a merger.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has submitted a merger proposal with the Renault group, which would result in the creation of the world's third largest car manufacturer. The proposal will be considered by Renault's Board of Directors next Monday. According to the proposal, the newly formed group of companies will be owned by the shareholders of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Renault in a 50:50 ratio, and the number of seats on the Board of Directors will be distributed in a similar way.
The increase in the income of the new group of companies as a result of the merger, according to the proposal of the FCA, will be more than € 5 billion per year. At the same time, it is not supposed to resort to the closure of production facilities or other drastic measures. Combining the influences and strengths of the two companies, namely FCA's developments in autonomous driving and Renault experience in the creation of electric vehicles, will lead to the emergence of one of the strongest players in the market. Significantly, the shares of both companies immediately after the news rose in European trading by more than 10 percent.
Volkswagen (10.9 million) and Toyota (10.6 million) shared the first and second places in the ranking. In third place in the ranking today is General Motors, which sold 8.38 million vehicles last year. Fourth place belongs to Ford with a score of 6 million units. Fifth and sixth place is occupied by Nissan and Honda, with 5.52 and 5.32 million vehicles, respectively.
Fiat Chrysler, owner of brands such as Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Alfa Romeo, ranked seventh with 4.84 million vehicles sold in 2018. Renault's figure was 3.88 million, which allowed it to reach eighth place. If the sales volumes of manufacturers are summed up, then the new group of companies will confidently move to third place immediately.
