The combo has helped Chrysler out in several ways. First and foremost, Marchionne and Fiat addressed the serious shortcomings in interiors of the Chrysler vehicles. That has probably been the number one impact on them and their ability to sell cars.
Second, Cerberus totally gutted their product development when they bought Chrysler. Basically, Chrysler had nothing in the development pipeline and that is death to an auto manufacturer. Fiat was able to do some rapid programs to do updates to the vehicles as well as share some platforms to aid in shortening the development cycle. Big help for Chrysler.
Third, Fiat has improved the quality of Chrysler products. While still not on par with others, it has improved.
Fourth, Fiat has brought some of their powertrain technology to Chrysler. That is a good thing. You can see this in transmissions and the small diesel engine found in the Jeep and the one that is supposed to come out in the RAM 1500 pickup. I expect big demand for the diesel in the 1500 if they actually get them into production (been some delays).
Last, the combo allows for spreading development costs across more vehicles with the shared platforms. It also provides more outlets for Chrysler products in Europe and more outlets for Fiat products in the US. They are still small, but definitely better.
If it wasn't for Fiat, Chrysler would be dead. Lets face it, it was a zombie...technically dead, but still walking. Better for the US employees that depend on Chrysler, their suppliers, dealers, etc.
