Chrysler-Fiat CEO Apologizes for 'wop' Comment
Sergio Marchionne has issued a written apology to the Italian American ONE VOICE Coalition for a comment he made during last January’s Detroit Auto Show.
During the show, Marchionne said that the Alfa Romeo 4C needed a “wop” engine. The remark spurred a few humorous headlines at the time, but didn’t cause much of a stir. At least it didn’t seem that way, but the Bloomfield, N.J.- based coalition demanded an apology shortly afterward.
The group is dedicated to fighting bias, discrimination and stereotyping of Italian Americans.
It also isn’t the first time Marchionne’s penchant for colorful comments caused him trouble. In February, 2011, Marchionne commented on the “shyster rates” Chrysler was paying the U.S. and Canadian governments.
[Source: Automotive News]
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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