The head of Fiat and Chrysler will meet Saturday with Italian Premier Mario Monti to discuss the automaker's "strategic prospects" amid increasing fears about possible plant closures in Italy.
The government announced the meeting in a statement this week, days after two of its ministers urged Fiat - Italy's largest employer and most important industrial concern - to clarify its plans.
In an interview published in the Rome daily La Repubblica, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said he had no plans to move Fiat away from Italy - but he said he has had to review investments and slow down new car rollouts to adapt to a contracting European market to avoid squandering capital.
"In this dramatic situation, I have not spoken about firing, I have not proposed closing plants, and I have never said I wanted to go away," the newspaper quoted Marchionne as saying from Detroit.
Fiat plants in Italy have been running well below capacity, and many workers have been on shortterm layoffs with reduced pay.
