Fiat Chrysler to spin off Ferrari (Update)

UPDATE The initial public offering of luxury carmaker Ferrari is expected to happen between the second and the third quarter of 2015, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said today.

Marchionne said last month he would spin off Ferrari from the group, sell a 10 percent stake via a public offering and distribute the rest of FCA's stake in the luxury sports car brand to its shareholders.

The spin-off is part of a bigger capital-raising plan that also includes a $2.5 billion convertible bond issue to help cut debt and fund an ambitious business plan at the world's seventh-largest carmaker.

Marchionne said after the capital raising the U.S. free float of FCA, which moved its primary listing to New York last month, could increase to around 20 percent of the group's capital. A road show to market the capital-raising with U.S. investors is planned for December, he added.

10/29/14 Fiat Chrysler said on Wednesday it would spin off luxury carmaker Ferrari and list a 10 percent stake on the market as it seeks to raise funding for its ambitious 48-billion euro ($61 billion) growth plan.

The world's seventh-largest carmaker said the board had mandated its management to complete the spin-off next year. It said its remaining 80 percent Ferrari stake would be distributed among FCA shareholders – who include the Agnelli family which founded Fiat.

The group, which moved its own primary listing to New York on Oct. 13, expects the Ferrari shares to be listed in the United States and possibly a European exchange.

"As we move forward to secure the 2014-2018 Business Plan and work toward maximizing the value of our businesses to our shareholders, it is proper that we pursue separate paths for FCA and Ferrari," FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said in a statement.

FCA's Milan-listed shares, which fell after the company earlier reported third-quarter results and higher-than-expected debt, rose 5 percent before trading was suspended due to excessive volatility.