Deals
Peugeot Harnessed Family Ties to Woo Fiat After Renault Snub
- Fiat heir Elkann built on relationship with Robert Peugeot
- French government gave blessing to merger it sees as good fit
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Late in May, John Elkann was back in Paris. The city had become a frequent destination for the scion of the Italian Fiat clan as he worked to get a combination with Renault SA over the line. But days before announcing the deal, Elkann walked into the apartment in the affluent 16th district of an unusual dinner companion: Robert Peugeot, a descendant of the namesake carmaker and Renault arch rival.