Providers and Administrators in blue logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Chrysler's CEO Could Get Stock Worth $2.9M

February 25, 2011
3 min to read


DETROIT - Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne will get stock valued at almost $2.9 million if the company repays the money it still owes the U.S. government, according to disclosure forms the company filed on Friday.


Marchionne, who also is CEO if Italy's Fiat SpA, will get 361,446 shares for his service as a director on the Chrysler Group LLC board, reported Msnbc.com.

Ad Loading...


He'll get the shares after Chrysler repays to the government, or on June 10, 2012, whichever is later, according to the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. As of Dec. 31, the shares were valued by the company at $7.95 each.


Chrysler nearly ran out of cash and needed a $12.5 billion U.S. government bailout to make it through a 2009 filing for bankruptcy protection. The company still owes the government $5.8 billion.


Chrysler's eight other directors, including Chairman Robert Kidder, will get the same number of shares as Marchionne, in three annual increments that started in June of 2010 and run through June of 2012.


The value of the shares is likely to be much higher than $7.95 each when the company sells stock to the public, perhaps as early as the fourth quarter of this year. The filing said Chrysler has 1 million shares outstanding, so at $7.95, the company's total market value would be only $7.95 million. By comparison, General Motors Co. shares closed Friday at $33.25, giving the company a market value of $49.88 billion.


Chrysler said it started filing financial disclosure forms with U.S. regulators as part of a 2009 agreement when the company emerged from bankruptcy protection.

Ad Loading...


Friday's filing comes ahead of the planned stock sale, although Chrysler said in a statement that it was not related to an IPO.


The form filed Friday registers Chrysler's stock with the SEC. Of the company's 1 million shares, the largest holder is a United Auto Workers health care trust for retirees at 63.5 percent. Italy's Fiat SpA, which is managing Chrysler, owns 25 percent, while the U.S. government holds 9.2 percent and the Canadian government owns 2.3 percent.


Chrysler said it now will file reports with the SEC on its business and financial conditions "disclosing material events as they emerge."


Chrysler nearly ran out of cash and had to be rescued from liquidation with bailouts from the U.S. and Canadian governments. The governments got their stakes in the company in exchange for part of the money they provided.


In the 2009 bankruptcy, Chrysler pared its debt and labor costs so it can make money at a relatively low sales level. But the company has yet to post a net profit since emerging from bankruptcy protection, although it cut its losses last year to $652 million and promised to make $200 million to $500 million in 2011. The company lost about $8 billion in 2009.

Ad Loading...


Chrysler could repay its government loans by the end of March. Marchionne has said he hopes to refinance them with private lenders to get a lower interest rate. Chrysler now pays 11 to 12 percent interest on the $5.8 billion owed to the U.S. and $1.3 billion owed to Canada. The U.S. government originally provided $12.5 billion in bailout financing, while Canada provided $2.4 billion.


Marchionne, 58, gets no pay for his work at Chrysler CEO, which often includes long days and travel between Italy and the United States.


Friday's filing also details Chrysler's business plans, most of which have been disclosed previously by the company.


It said the company is remains vulnerable to rising gasoline prices because its vehicle lineup is still weighted toward larger vehicles. Chrysler introduced 16 new or revamped models last year but still has few fuel-efficient models.


The company also disclosed that it spent $1.5 billion on research and development last year, compared with about $1.1 billion in 2009 and $1.525 billion in 2008.


More Industry

Line graphic showing week-over-week wholesale auto price changes
Industryby StaffApril 22, 2026

Black Book: Weekly Market Update

Wholesale auto conversion rates dropped slightly as auction buyers proved picky last week, analysts observed.

Read More →
pavement with car and charger wrapped around it painted on
Industryby Lauren LawrenceApril 16, 2026

EV Battery Cycle Life at Risk

Fast charging of electric vehicles provides a solution for range anxiety, but it also poses a risk to battery cycle life due to increased temperatures, according to an EV supply chain data provider.

Read More →
Photo of exterior facade of Beardmore Chevrolet store
Industryby Hannah MitchellApril 14, 2026

Founding Family Sells Nebraska Dealerships

Expanding Midwest automotive group picks up three stores as part of the robust transaction activity early this year.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Up-close photo of car battery
Industryby Hannah MitchellApril 13, 2026

Automaker Increases Parts Recycling

Stellantis is adding a third end-of-life vehicle dismantling facility to feed its growing reuse business sparked in large part by autos’ growing lifespans.

Read More →
Photo of white 2026 Ford Bronco on a sandy beach
Industryby Hannah MitchellApril 10, 2026

March New-Vehicle Sales Don’t Reflect War

Cox Automotive data shows Americans doubled down on big-is-better despite price increases. Slightly higher incentives helped fuel the demand.

Read More →
Photo from the rear of the XC60 SUV
IndustryApril 8, 2026

Volvo to Shift Some EV Production to U.S.

The automaker says its movement of some electric-vehicle work to the S.C. factory is part of a more tailored product focus. It also plans to add a new hybrid model to the plant’s itinerary.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Bar graphic depicting week-over-week change across the various vehicle segments
Industryby StaffApril 7, 2026

Black Book: Weekly Market Update

Last week's wholesale automotive auction activity continued in a healthy mode, though buyers practiced selectivity.

Read More →
red car at a gas station being filled with gas. Efficiency Drives Demand. Providers and Administrators logo
Industryby Lauren LawrenceApril 7, 2026

Gas Prices Driving Consumer Interest

CarGurus’ first quarterly review of 2026 shows that affordability concerns are continuing to drive consumer purchases with a shift to more fuel-efficient options.

Read More →
Blurred photo of red car moving down a road
Industryby Hannah MitchellMarch 31, 2026

Automakers Have More Tricks Up Their Sleeves

JD Power analysts see auto retail faring this year’s storms well through various means, though it acknowledges conditions are challenging to accurately predict.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
background view of Washington D.C. with the capitol building and cherry trees. Text says 'What's the Cost?' with two diverging arrows and the Providers and Administrator's logo
Industryby Lauren LawrenceMarch 31, 2026

Insurance Rates Continue to Fall

Car insurance premiums have continued to decline so far this year, the overall national average settling at $138 per month in March, according to Insurify data.

Read More →