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Speaking at the company's annual shareholder meeting Chief
Executive Michael Manley said the group's operating performance
this year would exceed the record results posted in 2018.
Chairman John Elkann said: "Despite the (fact that the) second
part of 2018 included trade difficulties in some areas that the
persisted in the first part of this year, we forecast a
significative improvement in the second half of 2019."
In February weaker-than-expected guidance for 2019 profits and
industrial free cash flow raised doubts about the
Italian-American carmaker's longer-term targets.
Manley has sought to persuade investors that the 2020 goals -
set by late boss Sergio Marchionne - were still achievable.
"I am confident that we will successfully deliver on our
guidance for this year," he said.
The CEO said industrial free cash flow this year was expected to
be more than 1.5 billion euros, down on last year due to higher
capital expenditure.
At 1110 GMT Fiat Chrysler shares were up 2.6 percent.
Elkann - a scion of Italy's Agnelli family that is Fiat
Chrysler's biggest shareholder - reiterated the family was
prepared to take "bold and creative decisions" to help build a
solid and attractive future for the carmaker.
He added the group was ready to play a part in the "new and
exciting" era for the auto industry.
Recent media reports have said France's Renault could be eyeing
a bid for Fiat while in March the president of Peugeot family
holding company FFP said he would support a new deal and
suggested Fiat Chrysler was among the options.
After the death of former CEO Sergio Marchionne last year,
speculation about the future of Fiat Chrysler has intensified.
Marchionne, who had created the group by merging a troubled Fiat
with Chrysler of the U.S., had advocated industry mergers to
share the cost of building electric and self-driving cars.
Carmakers around the world are looking to tie-ups to cope with
rising competition, the rise of electrification and the threat
of a trade war between the United States and China.
(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; writing by Stephen Jewkes;
editing by Keith Weir)
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