A tough stance taken by regulatory authorities in the US on safety issues with vehicles can push up car prices, ushering in a new state-industry equation.
Observing this, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne told Reuters that the "different attitude" adopted by the regulators was "bound to increase the costs of execution of the car" as it called for additional measures to adhere to safety guidelines.
The observation comes after National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) flayed the way the automobile major had handled its recalls.
Reviewing 20 such recalls, NHTSA chief Mark Rosekind accused the automobile manufacturer of not acting enough to repair 10 million vehicles within the purview of its actions.
Scheduling a public hearing in July to decide further in this connection, Rosekind said the agency could slap $700m fine on Fiat Chrysler and pressurize towards buying its cars back.
Underscoring the need for cooperation, Marchionne said: "I just want clear rules...This is the only thing that we, humbly, will request ... We can't change the rules after the event."
The company had fallen out with regulators recently over the need for recalling certain Jeeps, the fuel tanks of which were susceptible to setting off fire during collisions.
Eventually, Chrysler gave its nod to recalling around 1.6 million Jeeps and providing protection to gas tanks.
