Fiat wants Chrysler, Opel

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne (left) arrives for a meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin May 4.

Less than a week after sealing a deal with Chrysler to form a partnership, Marchionne visited Berlin on Monday to try to convince Germany's political leaders of his plan to create a European car giant with the acquisition of General Motors Corp's Opel unit.

A general overview of a production area at the Opel plant.

CEO of General Motors' German unit, Opel, Hans Demant (right) and German Foreign Minster Frank-Walter Steinmeier listen to a worker during a visit to the plant on May 4.

An employee of General Motors' German unit installs a battery in an Opel Corsa at the Opel plant.

New Vauxhall cars are seen standing outside the company's factory in Ellesmere Port, northern England, in this October 27, 2008 file photograph.

Italy's Fiat SpA could seek a merger of its auto group with General Motors Corp's Europe unit, then spin off the combined company and list it, Fiat said on May 3.

Under a GM restructuring plan, Opel, including British affiliate Vauxhall, would be spun off.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne arrived in his Maserati car for a meeting with the economy ministry in Berlin May 4.

Less than a week after sealing a deal with Chrysler to form a partnership, Marchionne visited Berlin on May 4 to try to convince Germany's political leaders of his plan to create a European car giant with the acquisition of General Motors Corp's Opel unit.

Inset: Sergio Marchionne

German Foreign Minster Frank-Walter Steinmeier and CEO of General Motors's German unit Opel Hans Demant address the media after Steinmeier visited the Opel plant in the Eastern German town of Eisenach, May 4.

German Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg addresses a news conference in Berlin on May 4. Guttenberg said he did not expect a final decision on the future of carmaker Opel to come out of his meeting with Fiat SpA's chief exective.

Fiat is set on acquiring Opel after it struck a last-minute deal to buy an initial 20 percent of Chrysler on April 30.

Legal council arrive with boxes of documents outside US Bankruptcy Court in New York, May 4.

Chrysler, which filed for bankruptcy on April 30, is planning an emergence from court protection in as little as 30 days under the guidance of US President Barack Obama administration officials.

Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles are parked in a lot next to the idle Chrysler Belvidere Assembly plant Belvidere, Illinois, US, May 4.

Chrysler asked the US Bankruptcy Court on Monday for a swift hearing into its planned sale to Italy's Fiat SpA, eliciting immediate objections from some secured lenders.