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Sergio Marchionne, 1952-2018\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Sergio Marchionne, the founding CEO of\u00a0Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV who died Wednesday\u00a0<\/strong>at age 66, will be\u00a0remembered as one of the auto industry’s\u00a0transformational figures<\/a>.<\/p>\n An automotive outsider groomed as an accountant and financial officer, Marchionne engineered the merger of Fiat and Chrysler in 2009.\u00a0By the time he\u00a0was\u00a0replaced as CEO by Jeep chief Mike Manley at\u00a0a hastily called board meeting Saturday, Marchionne had revived the fortunes of both companies as a growing,\u00a0international conglomerate encompassing 10\u00a0brands under the corporate umbrella of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.<\/p>\n “His unbelievable turnaround left Fiat so much healthier than when he found it,” said Jeremy Acevedo, manager of industry analysis for Edmunds. “He’ll be remembered as one of the early 21st-century’s great auto leaders along with Alan Mulally and Elon Musk.”<\/p>\n Exor SpA, the holding company of Fiat’s founding Agnelli family, confirmed Marchionne’s death\u00a0in a statement. It attributed his passing in Zurich, where he kept a home, to\u00a0complications from surgery.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately what we feared has come to pass,\u201d said John Elkann, a Fiat heir. \u201cSergio Marchionne, man and friend, is gone.\u00a0I believe that the best way to honor his memory is to build on the legacy he left us, continuing to develop the human values of responsibility and openness of which he was the most ardent champion.”<\/p>\n Industry leaders and politicians offered condolences. Bill Ford, executive chairman of\u00a0Ford Motor Co., said\u00a0Marchionne was an admired industry leader.<\/p>\n \u201cSergio 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,” he said in a statement. “His extraordinary leadership, candor and passion for the industry will be missed by everyone who knew him.”<\/p>\n “He was well-known for his business prowess as well as his disdain for suits and neckties,” says Rebecca Lindland, senior auto analyst at Kelley Blue Book.<\/p>\n Never shy with a quip, the profane, funny, driven CEO\u00a0bucked industry trends and questioned industry traditions. He\u00a0famously said of the Fiat 500e<\/a>, a poor-selling\u00a0electric vehicle\u00a0sold in California to meet the state’s zero-emission mandates: \u201cI hope you don\u2019t buy it, because every time I sell one it costs me $14,000. I’m honest enough to tell you that.\u201d<\/p>\n\u00a0Noted for a minimalist wardrobe that seemed limited to a closet full of black sweaters, Marchionne was as colorful as his sartorial taste was monochromatic.<\/div>\n\n