Fiat Chrysler Automobiles FCAU 0.92 % NV Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said Friday he is open to deepening a new partnership with Alphabet Inc. GOOGL 1.46 % 's Google autonomous-car team, but said it is unclear if the Silicon Valley tech giant is willing to forge stronger ties. Mr. Marchionne, speaking at factory in Canada, said Fiat Chrysler is seeking collaborations with tech companies instead of independently funding significant bets on projects that might not pan out. "We are exploring with people who are willing to explore with us," he said, referring to deepening ties to the point of codeveloping new, autonomous vehicles from the wheels up. The company has said in the past it wants to partner with many auto makers. Fiat Chrysler earlier this week said it would supply dozens of Chrysler Pacifica minivans to Google, and the two companies will collaborate on integrating self-driving technology so the vehicles can be tested on public roads.

DETROIT -- Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne says repeatedly that automakers must consider partnerships with other automakers and tech giants like Apple and Google. For those paying close attention over past year, reports that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is in advanced discussions with Alphabet Inc.'s self-driving car division about a technology partnership is not a complete surprise. Marchionne, who also has courted General Motors for a mega-merger, has also met with Apple, Google and Tesla over the past year. FCA and Google declined to comment, but The Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the two companies are in advanced talks to form a technical partnership. The partnership would be the first to match an automaker with Google's 7-year-old autonomous car project, which is now part of the so-called X lab at Alphabet, Google's parent company.