Fiat Chrysler US sales chief is leaving after he sued the company
Reid Bigland has been with automaker for 22 years
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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said on Wednesday its U.S. sales chief, Reid Bigland, is leaving the company to pursue other interests.
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Bigland, who has been with Fiat Chrysler for 22 years, sued the company last year, claiming it withheld 90 percent of his 2018 compensation because he cooperated with a regulatory probe into its sales practices.
Throughout a five-year period from 2012 to 2016, Fiat Chrysler's U.S. unit used a series of fraudulent moves to falsely report new vehicle sales and tout a "streak" of uninterrupted monthly year-over-year sales growth, when it had actually ended in September 2013.
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In July 2016, the company revised more than five years of monthly U.S. vehicle sales figures to reflect a new reporting method, amid an investigation by federal authorities including the U.S. Justice Department.
Reid Bigland unveils the Dodge Challenger Shaker at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young, File)
Bigland’s departure comes amidst Fiat Chrysler’s talks with France’s Peugeot SA (PEUP.PA) for a $50 billion merger that would create the world’s fourth-largest automaker.
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Bigland will leave the company on April 3, Fiat Chrysler said.