AutoNation Inc. said it plans to bid on "multiple" Fiat franchises after Chrysler unveiled its plans for the brand to dealers at a meeting in Detroit on Monday, Automotive News.

COO Michael Maroone said he was impressed with the presentation. AutoNation, the nation's largest automotive retailer, intends to seek multiple Fiat franchises, although it hasn't determined how many or where, he said.

“It is our plan to apply for a certain number of those,” Maroone said. “We went in (to the meeting) as skeptics and came out feeling that Chrysler and Fiat had developed a very solid plan, and we're very interested in being a retailer for them.”

CEO Mike Jackson included AutoNation's plans for seeking Fiat in "talking points" distributed to the financial community earlier today.

The Fiat 500 alone won't sustain separate Fiat operations, Maroone said.

“You'd need multiple models; you need good product cadence, which they did discuss with the dealers, and we were satisfied with the product cadence they have,” Maroone said.

“But certainly you can't build a stand-alone facility and staff it and create a culture just based on one model. Although the car was very cool. I was impressed.”

Chrysler also talked about Alfa Romeo.

“There's a commitment to bring Alfa Romeo to the United States, and the people that are able to obtain these Fiat franchises will not only have multiple products in the Fiat line, but they'll also have first opportunity at the Alfa franchises, assuming they perform,” Maroone said.

“So it's not a guarantee, but I think they're looking to leverage that Fiat network with Alfa. That's very desirable from a retailer's point of view.”