Shareholders for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot maker PSA Group are to meet in January to decide whether to approve the proposed merger between the two companies.
The companies announced Wednesday they would hold general meetings for their respective shareholders on Jan. 4 “in order to approve the merger of their companies to
allow the creation of Stellantis, which will become the world’s fourth largest automobile manufacturer by volume.”
Leaders of the companies have previously said they aim to complete the merger by the end of the first quarter.
Regulatory approvals have been moving forward for the effort, most recently in Brazil, and the European Commission is expected to give its blessing.
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Earlier this month, the companies revealed the corporate logo for Stellantis, whose name has a Latin root “stello,” meaning “to brighten with stars,” according to the companies. Critics of the choice have suggested it sounds more like a pharmaceutical offering than a name for an automaker.
The companies released sample logos showing lettering with the new company name on either a blue or white background and a circle of dots, presumably to represent stars or car brands.
The combined company, which would be larger than either General Motors or Ford, would bring the Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands together with Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and Vauxhall, the last two of which were owned by GM until it sold them in 2017.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Become a subscriber.