After the validation Monday by the European Union of the merger between the manufacturers PSA and Fiat-Chrysler, the new group, which will be called Stellantis, is positioned as a juggernaut in the automotive sector.

With 8.7 million cars sold worldwide, it could become the 4th largest company in the international market.

It's official, Brussels yesterday gave the green light to the merger between PSA and Fiat-Chrysler.

The new world number four in the automobile industry is practically born.

Yes, it will be necessary to wait until January 4, date of the general meeting of the two groups, for the shareholders to approve the operation.

But that will only be a formality, so yes, everything is ready for a 50/50 marriage.

The new group will be called Stellantis, it will sell 8.7 million vehicles worldwide for a turnover of 184 billion euros.

It is therefore a juggernaut that will be present across the entire automotive range with no less than 16 brands.

We will not mention them all, but with Fiat, Peugeot, Chrysler, of course, but also Citroën, Opel, Jeep, Alfa Romeo or even Maserati, the catalog is impressive. 

And it's rather a happy event as the auto market collapses.

Yes, it's a coincidence of the calendar but the tempo is indeed ideal for such a wedding.

You should know that the Covid will cost the automotive sector dearly, much more than the 2008 crisis: sales should fall by 16% this year.

With 76 million cars sold, it is almost 20 million less than the record of 2017. And it will be difficult to go back, in this context.

Only large groups can get by because they are present in all markets and they can amortize their gigantic research expenses on more volume. 

Finally, the French groups are not so badly placed in the race for size that is looming.

It is true, because if we are talking about PSA today, we must not forget Renault.

Of course, the arrest and then the escape of former CEO Carlos Ghosn cast a shadow over the alliance formed by the French with Nissan and Mitsubishi, but this alliance does exist and in the current context, none of these three manufacturers no interest in seeing the marriage fail.

Together, the three groups produced more than 10 million cars last year, so today we have two French car groups that play a leading role in two of the world's largest galaxies.

It is a more than enviable position to consider the future.