Then, losses year after year made it clear that the auto division was the sick man in the portfolio.

Excluding the auto division, the company's sales rose 3.2 percent.

Results at the auto division were largely in line with investor expectations.

"But because every car brand became its own auto division, what they stood for became indistinct."

Fiat, the largest private employer in Italy, has been struggling to return its auto division to profitability.

Many wonder just how much room from losses in its auto division, which provides 40 percent of revenues.

Volvo's chief problem, he said, is that the company's auto division, which produces just 400,000 cars a year, is too small.

I repeated my story to the auto division and was told to report it to my precinct.

He assured me that my leads would be followed up when the precinct filed its report with the auto division.

Moments later a sergeant from the auto division called to say it would have someone drive by the garage.