An official at automaker FCA US has pleaded guilty in federal court in a scheme to withhold emission systems information on more than 100,000 vehicles.

FCA US has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a scheme to deceive regulators about diesel emission systems on 101,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ram 1500 trucks.

The family of a little girl who was killed when her mother’s car was rear-ended by a Jeep on a Phoenix freeway can sue the SUV’s manufacturer for wrongful death because it did not install automatic emergency braking devices.

Automaker Stellantis says it made a solid 13.4 billion euros in its first year.

Automaker FCA US has been fined $30 million after admitting that it paid off leaders of the United Auto Workers to try to win concessions in negotiations covering thousands of factory workers.

Two Italian managers in Fiat Chrysler’s diesel engine program have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit in a widening case involving allegations of emissions test cheating.

The Italian-American carmaker and the French mass-market automotive company completed their merger on Jan. 16, creating Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest carmaker, despite a pandemic year that saw profits plunge. “Stellantis is not born from a crisis,’’ Tavares told a conference call after fourth-quarter earnings were released. Fiat Chrysler reported adjusted net profits in the pandemic year of 1.9 billion euros ($2.3 billion), down 57% from 2019. PSA reported earnings of 2.2 billion euros, a drop of 32%. Fiat Chrysler reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of 2.3 billion euros, a record 2.2 billion euros of those generated in North America, where the profit margin was 11.6%.

DETROIT – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, now part of Stellantis, has pleaded guilty in a long-running corruption probe. There will be a federal monitor making sure that there are no improper payments to UAW going forward. FCA stands for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which now is part of Stellantis, a company created by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot. “Your honor, we plead guilty,” FCA general counsel Chris Pardi told U.S. District Judge Paul Borman. They are awaiting their sentences in Detroit federal court.

DETROIT – Here’s what you missed on Local 4 News at Noon. FCA pleads guilty in corruption probeFiat Chrysler Automobiles, now part of Stellantis, has pleaded guilty in a long-running corruption probe. Not long ago, they formally admitted to paying more than $3.5 million in personal expenses for senior UAW officials.

DETROIT – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $30 million fine for a corruption scandal at the union that represents its factory workers, authorities said Wednesday. Al Iacobelli was the head of labor relations at Fiat Chrysler and co-chairman of the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center in Detroit. Training center credit cards paid for more than $30,000 in meals for UAW officials at various restaurants in Southern California, the government said. The government’s investigation began at the training center but stretched to other corrupt acts at the UAW. Fiat Chrysler US is a subsidiary of Stellantis, a company created by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The merger between PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) that will lead to the creation of Stellantis was officially complete Saturday. The Stellantis sign is now up outside the now former FCA headquarters in Auburn Hills. Stellantis was launched Monday on the Milan and Paris stock exchanges, giving life to the fourth-largest auto company in the world. Read more: Carmaker Stellantis shares jump in Milan, Paris on first day

Fiat Chrysler Shareholders of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA Group met Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 to vote on a merger that will create the world's fourth-largest automaker. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)DETROIT – The merger between Peugeot maker PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles that will lead to the creation of Stellantis was complete Saturday. The Peugeot and FCA merger has been the subject of much controversy. Speaking to Local 4 News earlier this month, Frank Rhodes, the great grandson of Walter Chrysler who founded famed auto company Chrysler in 1924 expressed concern over the business deal. Read more: Great grandson of Walter Chrysler worries about fate of automaker

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)DETROIT – A new government report says gas mileage for new vehicles dropped and pollution increased in model year 2019 for the first time in five years. The Environmental Protection Agency says the changes show that few automakers could meet what it called unrealistic emissions and mileage standards set by the Obama administration through the 2020 model year. The EPA report released Wednesday says gas mileage fell 0.2 miles per gallon for model year 2019, while greenhouse gas emissions rose by 3 grams per mile traveled, compared with 2018 figures. Mileage dropped to 24.9 miles per gallon while greenhouse gas emissions rose to 356 grams per mile, the report said. It was updated on Jan. 14, 2021, to correct the second paragraph to show that new vehicle gas mileage for 2019 decreased rather than increased.

The Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles merger is at the center of the contention. Walter Chrysler founded his famed auto company in 1924. His name has stuck around through the Daimler merger and the Fiat takeover, but this new world without Chrysler bothers his great grandson, Frank Rhodes. Rhodes is also upset about the possibility the Chrysler brand itself is in jeopardy. “It’s down to two vehicles now and one is a very old Sedan and Sedans aren’t selling, so the future of the Chrysler brand may be questionable,” said Krebs.

Fiat Chrysler Shareholders of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA Group are meeting Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 to vote on a merger that will create the world's fourth-largest automaker. Fiat Chrysler shares were up 0.2% in New York on Monday at $18.13, while Peugeot rose 1.7% to 22.75 euros. Fiat Chrysler announced Monday that its stockholders as of Jan. 15 will get a special cash payment worth 1.84 euros ($2.26) per common share after the merger closes. Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley will head North American operations, which is key to Tavares' long-time goal of getting a U.S. foothold for the French carmaker he has run since 2014, and the clear money-maker for Fiat Chrysler. Fiat Chrysler said there are no plans to close any plants.

Fiat Chrysler Shareholders of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA Group are meeting Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 to vote on a merger that will create the world's fourth-largest automaker. Experts say that means Tavares, currently the head of PSA Group, is likely to follow that blueprint when he becomes leader of a merged PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The low-performing Chrysler brand might get the axe as could slow-selling cars, SUVs or trucks that lack potential. He likely will target Europe for consolidation first, because that’s where Fiat vehicles overlap extensively with PSA’s, said IHS Markit Principal Auto Analyst Stephanie Brinley. In December the companies announced that Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley would run Stellantis’ operations in the Americas.

The state agency noted that the action was taken against the businesses for breaking the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services extended COVID restrictions. In August, Michigan first announced a settlement of more than $600 million in the Flint water lawsuit. CVS Health announced it is launching a nationwide effort to help vaccinate thousands of staff and residents at long-term care facilities against COVID-19. As part of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ new COVID-19 order, certain entertainment venues that had been closed for the last month can reopen with limited capacity. Gretchen Whitmer along with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced both are ready to start reopening a lot of businesses Monday.

DETROIT – When Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced it planned to build a more than $2 billion assembly plant on Detroit’s east side the company stated the investment was not going to stop there. On Monday, the company proved it with a $700,000 pledge to three Detroit neighborhoods. The money will be used for several things and better the area. According to Ronald Stallworth, external affairs manager with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the project will focus on three Detroit neighborhoods on the city’s east side including Chandler Park, West End and Riverbend. DETAILS: Fiat Chrysler contributes $400K to Detroit neighborhood fundRead more: Automotive News

DETROIT – A photo taken at a local automotive plant is raising questions about how coronavirus procedures are being handled, if at all. Gretchen Whitmer has signed bills that extend unemployment benefits for residents who have lost work due to COVID-19 until the end of the year. Senate Bills 886 and 991 codify part of Whitmer’s orders that expanded unemployment benefits to Michiganders. Much like Whitmer’s response, lawmakers say theirs also relies on data -- but there is one key difference. The new proposal aims to give county officials control over how they want to handle procedures, instead of establishing procedures based on identified regions.

WARREN, Mich. – A photo taken at a local automotive plant is raising questions about how coronavirus procedures are being handled, if at all. A concerned worker at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) assembly plant in Warren sent a photo to Local 4 that shows a hallway packed wall-to-wall with employees -- with some shoulder-to-shoulder. The photo clearly shows a lack of social distancing among plant workers. In response, FCA sent a statement to Local 4 to shed light on what occurred inside of the Warren plant Tuesday. "Masks are distributed to plant employees once they have cleared the thermal imaging station to ensure they have the proper protection before entering the plant floor.

A federal judge in Detroit said Friday that he will not reconsider his July dismissal of General Motors racketeering lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. U.S. District Judge Paul Borman wrote in an opinion that new evidence presented by GM regarding bribes and foreign bank accounts is too speculative to warrant reopening the case. GM alleged that FCA used foreign bank accounts to pay bribes to former United Auto Workers Presidents Dennis Williams and Ron Gettelfinger, as well as Vice President Joe Ashton. It also alleges that money was paid to GM employees including Al Iacobelli, a former FCA labor negotiator who was hired and later released by GM. GM said the payments were made so the officials would saddle GM with more than $1 billion in additional labor costs.

DETROIT Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is denying allegations by General Motors that FCA used foreign bank accounts to bribe union officials so they would stick GM with higher labor costs. The allegations of new evidence were made in a motion asking a federal judge to reconsider his July dismissal of a federal lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler. GM alleged that bribes were paid to two former United Auto Workers presidents, as well as a former union vice president and at least one former GM employee. GM alleged that bribes were paid to former United Auto Workers Presidents Dennis Williams and Ron Gettelfinger, as well as Vice President Joe Ashton. GMs motion contended that payments were made to accounts in places like Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy, Singapore and the Cayman Islands.

DETROIT General Motors appears to have adopted a scorched earth policy when it comes to its lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Bribes were paid to individuals working within GM, who then stashed them in secret overseas accounts, GM said in a court filing. GM also claims while Ashton sat as the UAWs member on the General Motors board, he acted as a paid mole, giving GM proprietary information to FCA. GM goes on to say, it was former UAW president Dennis Williams who put Ashton up to all of this. But then, General Motors brought in the name of the long retired former UAW president Ron Gettelfinger, who has to date not been involved in the scandal.

DETROIT The merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Groupe PSA (PSA Peugeot) has born a new name: Stellantis. Actually, its officially STELL/\NTIS, a name rooted in the Latin verb stello meaning to brighten with stars, according to the automakers joint news release on Wednesday. FCA and PSA announced in December they signed a binding merger deal creating the worlds fourth-largest auto company with the scale to confront the challenges of stricter emissions regulations and the transition to new driving technologies. The companies said the new group will be led by PSAs cost-cutting CEO Carlo Tavares, with Fiat Chryslers chairman John Elkann as chairman of the merged company. Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley will stay on, but it was not announced in what capacity.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – A 27-year-old man has been charged following a stabbing at a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plant in Sterling Heights on Monday night. Gerald Demetrius Burrell, Jr., a Sterling Heights resident, was charged Wednesday with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. Burrell was arrested after reportedly stabbing a co-worker in the parking of the plant during their lunch break on Monday night. Sterling Heights police said one of them cut in line at the turnstile to get into the plant, leading to a weeklong dispute. A video shared with Local 4 from a FCA employee shows the two men facing off in the parking lot.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. Officials said two employees stabbed each other at an FCA assembly plant in Sterling Heights. The stabbings occurred when the two employees got into an argument. Police did not say what the argument was regarding. One of the employees is in critical condition. Click here for more local crime reports

GM went to federal court with a RICO claim saying the UAW and FCA colluded costing the company millions of dollars. Now GM wants the judge off the case. The judge wants it settled. In 2015, the late FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne is seen hugging then UAW president Dennis Williams kicking off national contract negotiations. GM appealed and the appeals court ruled today that hearing wouldn’t happen and wanted to hear from FCA and the judge over the next week.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. A generous donation from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has made it possible to purchase and distribute food to 215 senior citizen households in the Auburn Hills community. The Auburn Hills Community Foundation, dedicated to supporting the Auburn Hills community, received a donation from FCA and with the assistance of senior center volunteers, put together food boxes filled with non-perishable items such as trail mix, cereal and Ensure, to name just a few, for senior citizens in need of assistance. Many seniors in the Auburn Hills community are facing unprecedented, extraordinary times. The Auburn Hills Community Foundation, with the generous donation from FCA, is proud to be able to take this step to support the seniors of the community, said Kristen Baiardi, Chairperson, Auburn Hills Community Foundation. Members of the community came together at the Auburn Hills Community Center last week to pack over 645 boxes of food.

In a joint statement the Detroit leaders condemned the acts of injustice in the tragic murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor and the many other men and women whose lives have been cut far too short." MORE: Detroit business leaders speak out against racism, institute plans to combat systemic problemsTogether the leaders agreed to eliminate bias, racism, sexism and violence within their companies. Heres more of what the Detroit CEOs had to say Wednesday:Rev. And when that officer put his knee down on George Floyds neck, it ripped that scab off and its bleeding. Were here today to say that the conditions of systemic racism in law enforcement will change when everybody joins the cause.

WARREN, Mich. After nearly two months, the Big Three will restart production Monday and thousands of line workers will be back on the job. It wont be business as usual -- GM, Ford and FCA have implemented new safety procedures to limit the possibility of COVID-19 exposure. READ: President Trump to visit Ford plant in Ypsilanti ThursdayExtensive safety protocols are being used at every plant. The UAW will continue to do everything we can to protect the health and safety of all members as plants reopen. We will continue to be vigilant in protecting the health and safety of our members, their families and their communities.

DEARBORN, Mich. After nearly two months, the Big Three will restart production Monday and thousands of line workers will be back on the job. It wont be business as usual -- GM, Ford and FCA have implemented new safety procedures to limit the possibility of COVID-19 exposure. The Big Three of the automotive industry will cautiously restart production Monday. The UAW will continue to do everything we can to protect the health and safety of all members as plants reopen. We will continue to be vigilant in protecting the health and safety of our members, their families and their communities.

Safety measures will be in place including social distancing practices, frequent disinfections and heath screenings. The Big Three have all been preparing for the restart of factories by testing safety protocols in the plants that have remained in operation to produce personal protection equipment and ventilators. Inside the General Motors Warren Transmission plant United Auto Workers and GM volunteers churned out face masks for hospitals all over the state. Where our coronavirus safety protocols have been in place we have not seen a confirmed case of community spread in our facilities, said General Motors CEO, Mary Barra. Workers will also work from opposite ends of a vehicle instead of being inches apart to stay socially distant.

FCA said in a statement late Saturday that it was seeking 6.3 billion euros ($6.8 billion) in financing through Intesa SanPaolo, or one-quarter of its industrial revenue in Italy. Some politicians in the governing coalition questioned the loan to the carmaker, which moved its legal headquarters to the Netherlands and fiscal headquarters to Britain in 2014 after completing the merger between Italys Fiat and U.S. carmaker Chrysler. The shutdown of Fiat Chrysler production and showrooms in Italy because of coronavirus had a dramatic short- and medium-term impact on the entire automotive ecosystem, Fiat Chrysler said in a statement. Fiat Chrysler began reopening Italian plants at the end of April. Fiat Chrysler is in the process of a merger with French carmaker PSA Peugeot.

DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford Motor Company announced Saturday that it will test symptomatic employees for COVID-19 in southeastern Michigan to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) as employees return to work. May 16, 2020: Michigan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases up to 50,504; Death toll now at 4,880Ford officials say that contracts have been signed with Beaumont Health to “quickly test hourly and salaried employees with suspected symptoms of COVID-19." “Fast and accurate testing is a key tool in the effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Walter Talamonti, Ford Medical Director. “These contracts will allow us to test employees with suspected symptoms and have results back within 24 hours. Ford is also implementing this testing process for employees in Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois.

DETROIT – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles confirms that the company and the United Auto Workers have reached a proposed tentative agreement on a new four-year contract. UPDATE: UAW members ratify contract with Fiat Chrysler“Our UAW Bargaining Committee worked diligently, over many months, during the General Motors strike and Ford negotiations to maintain productive negotiations with FCA,” said UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada, director of the UAW-FCA Department. “During the previous four-year agreement, FCA added over 6,400 new UAW members.”The UAW-FCA National Council will meet on Dec. 4 to go over details of the proposed tentative agreement. If adopted as a tentative agreement, it will go to all FCA hourly and salary members for a ratification vote that will begin on Dec. 6. Related: UAW-FCA national contract almost complete

Bargaining with Fiat Chrysler is expected to intensify in the coming days as the union tries to finish out talks on new four-year deals. Fiat Chrysler has more temporary workers and more new hires than either Ford or GM, so the GM contract could cost FCA more money. That compares with a net profit of 564 million euros in the same period of 2018. Fiat Chrysler narrowed losses in Asia to 10 million euros, while losses in Europe nearly doubled to 55 million euros due to lower sales. The boards of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot have approved merging the two companies to create the world's fourth-largest automaker with a value of about $50 billion.

Shares have declined in Asia after weak earnings for technology and media companies led stocks lower on Wall Street. The modest pullback came a day after the S&P 500 hit an all-time high. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)BANGKOK Global shares mostly retreated Wednesday as investors eye a possible interest rate cut in the U.S. while hoping for a breakthrough on the U.S.-China trade front. The Dow and S&P 500 futures contracts appeared headed for a sluggish open, wavering between small gains and losses. It has cut rates twice since the summer to shield the U.S. from the impact of the trade war and a slowing global economy.

With 2,640 dealers across the U.S., Fiat Chrysler would be a ready distribution network for Peugeot and other PSA vehicles. PSA even could remain separate from Fiat Chrysler brands by selling in underutilized Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealerships. There is a large overlap in the types of smaller cars and sedans built under the Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen and Opel marquees. The merger is expected to help Fiat Chrysler get closer to meeting strict emissions standards with analysts expecting PSA's electric and hybrid powertrains to help speed the transition. Fiat Chrysler, which produces four Jeep models in a joint venture with the Chinese company GAC, saw sales dropped 24% to 163,000 in 2018.

Peugeot was relatively late to the electric vehicle game but is now working fast to catch up, notably with fellow French rival Renault. With 2,640 dealers across the U.S., Fiat Chrysler would be a ready distribution network for Peugeot and other PSA vehicles. PSA even could remain separate from Fiat Chrysler brands by selling in underutilized Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealerships. There is a large overlap in the types of smaller cars and sedans built under the Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen and Opel marquees. Fiat Chrysler, which produces four Jeep models in a joint venture with the Chinese company GAC, saw sales dropped 24% to 163,000 in 2018.

DETROIT - A senior manager at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is facing a list of federal charges in connection with accusations he purposely falsified diesel emissions results. The indictment claims Parma, a 40-year-old Italian citizen living in Bloomfield Hills, worked as a senior manager of diesel drivability and emissions at FCA from 2010 to 2016. Parma is accused of operating an elaborate scheme to install a "defeat device" in the engines to reduce emissions during testing. Volkswagen had to pay $2 billion in fines for turning off the emissions controls except for when it was tested. FCA's emissions controls worked, but not as well as when the testing was done.

DETROIT - The clock is ticking down on the United Auto Workers union's national contract. Related: UAW extends contracts with Ford, FCA; GM talks continueA recent union scandal could impact the negotiations. Related: UAW official Vance Pearson, others, accused of embezzling thousandsThe 40-page complaint focuses on union corruption. One of Jones' closest allies and his successor in UAW Region 5, Vance Pearson, was arrested and charged with embezzlement, wire fraud and money laundering, among others. The UAW could extend the negotiations, call for a strike or negotiate a lead contract with either FCA or Ford on Saturday.

DETROIT - The first piece of structural steel was put into place Tuesday at the new Fiat Chrysler Automobiles assembly plant on Detroit's east side. Crews are taking the two old engine plants that have been at the site for 100 years and turning them into an assembly plant. The I-beam put in place Tuesday was the first of 299 vertical plant shop beams. "It just shows FCA is going to be here forever," FCA paint facilities Chief John Powell said. "It shows Detroit is the automotive capital of the world and we're still building assembly plants," Powell said.

Davis is suing FCA, and court records detail the behavior from her coworkers that made her life miserable. She says after she complained to management about her coworkers using a monkey call device, things only got worse. She says the monkeys showed up in 2013. Primates hung from the ceiling, huge blow up monkeys showed up and stuffed animals were spread all over the various cubicles. FCA makes it clear in in its company policies that it does not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form.