Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based automobile industry consultancy, said the figure is based on the estimated per-vehicle profit of Fiat Chrysler autos sold in the U.S. market.

Labor costs have fallen to about 4 percent of the total price of a vehicle at Fiat Chrysler, down from 15 percent at Detroit automakers in the late 1990s, McAlinden said.

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Bernard Orr)