The auto industry has lost a true giant

Tributes to the late Sergio Marchionne arrived from industry figures and politicians worldwide, praising his perseverance, hard negotiating skills and candor. Marchionne resurrected one of Italy's biggest corporate names and revitalized Chrysler, succeeding where the U.S. company's two previous owners — Mercedes parent Daimler and private equity group Carberus — both had failed. Ford Motor Co. executive chairman Bill Ford Jr.: "Sergio Marchionne was one of the most respected leaders in the industry, whose creativity and bold determination helped to restore Chrysler to financial health and grow Fiat Chrysler into a profitable global automaker." Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche: "The auto industry has lost a real giant. And many of us have lost a very dear friend: Sergio Marchionne." Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi: "Our entire team at Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi were saddened to learn of the death of Sergio Marchionne. At this difficult time, we would like to express our sympathies to the Marchionne family, to our colleagues at Fiat Chrysler, Ferrari and CNH International." FCA Chairman John Elkann: The Agnelli family scion and Marchionne's boss praised his mentor's "values of humanity, responsibility and open-mindedness," adding, "My family and I will always be grateful for what he has done." Chase Carey, CEO of Formula One: Carey described Marchionne as "a great leader," saying, "He led with great passion, energy and insight, and inspired all around him. His contributions to Formula One are immeasurable. He was also a true friend to all of us and he will be deeply missed." Italian President Sergio Mattarella: "Marchionne wrote an important page in the history of Italian industry. As leader of Fiat, he went through years of very deep and radical transformation of markets, production systems, financial strategies and trade union relations." Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi: "With Sergio Marchionne, Italy loses not only the most brilliant of its managers, but one of the symbolic figures of our country. He represented the best of Italy ... An Italy that is not afraid of competition, knows how to face it and win thanks to the quality of Italian products and the creative capacity of people and businesses." Domenico Siniscalco, former Italian finance minister: "Sergio was a unique blend of a visionary and an executor. He combined a grand vision and the ability of getting things done. This is a real tragedy."