The world's seventh-largest carmaker said adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) for the July-September period rose to 1.5 billion euros ($1.63 billion), above a consensus of 1.4 billion in a Reuters poll of 13 analysts.
Sales were basically flat at 26.8 billion euros, below analyst expectations of 27.5 billion.
FCA, which spun off luxury unit Ferrari
at the start of this year, said net industrial debt rose to 6.5 billion euros by the end of September from 5.5 billion euros three months earlier.
The carmaker raised its full-year guidance for adjusted EBIT and adjusted net profit but kept its sales and debt projections intact.