Fiat in cooperation talks with Chrysler: report

Logo on the back door of the Fiat Panda car at the Lisbon International Fair in this September 2, 2003 file photo.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Italian carmaker Fiat (FIA.MI) has held talks with U.S. rival Chrysler CBS.UL in recent weeks over various forms of cooperation, Alfa Romeo brand chief Luca de Meo told German magazine WirtschaftsWoche in a story published on Saturday.

Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said in an interview with the Financial Times at the end of March that his company was already talking to Detroit's major carmakers about sharing production of Alfa Romeos in the United States.

Such a move would save money for Fiat, as European exporters suffer from the strong euro, and mark a return of the Alfa Romeo brand to the U.S. market after withdrawing it in 1995.

(Reporting by Christiaan Hetzner)