DETROIT _ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said it made $642 million in its first quarter after the death of CEO Sergio Marchionne.
That profit was held down by what the company estimates the diesel emissions scandal in the U.S. will cost it _ $812 million).
The company is not acknowledging guilt.
"This charge does not represent an agreed settlement amount nor an admission of liability, but represents an estimate of the provisions under applicable accounting guidelines based on progress of settlement discussions with counterparties," according to the earnings report.
The company faces lawsuits over alleged diesel emissions cheating in an estimated 100,000 2014-16 Ecodiesel Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles.
The case is similar to the Volkswagen diesel emissions case, which has cost that company billions, after researchers discovered that software helped its vehicles cheat on emissions tests.
As FCA reported its third-quarter earnings Tuesday, the post-Marchionne future was becoming clearer. Although Mike Manley, the new CEO, was in charge as second-quarter earnings were released in July, the baton was with Marchionne during that period. Marchionne died in July after a sudden bad turn in a health problem he had battled for more than a year.
