(Toledo, OH) The man responsible for reviving the Jeep brand in Toledo-- and worldwide-- has died.
Former Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne passed away following complications from shoulder surgery at the age of 66.
Marchionne is considered the architect of the Italian automaker's turnaround, engineering the merger with Chrysler and the spin-off of Ferrari. Both moves brought FCA back from the brink of bankruptcy-- and saw the automakers value grow ten-fold.
Marchionne also saw great value in the Jeep brand, reinvesting in the Toledo Jeep assembly complex and redesigning the iconic Toledo-made Wrangler, which is expected to set another worldwide sales record this year. The president of the Jeep unit was named over the weekend to succeed Marchionne as chief executive of FCA.