DETROIT — The event scheduled for Thursday at Fiat Chrysler’s Illinois assembly plant was supposed to shine a light on what the company does best: build high-margin Jeep sport utility vehicles.

Then, for a second time in two months, Fiat Chrysler abruptly called off the official celebration of the plant being retooled to turn out Jeep Cherokees, where the chief executive, Sergio Marchionne, was to have taken center stage.

Bigger things are on the horizon for Jeep and Fiat Chrysler, however — including a possible breakup of the company.

For months, according to two company officials, Fiat Chrysler has been in discussions with a number of Chinese companies about potential equity investments or other deals involving its Ram pickup division and the Jeep brand. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks have not been publicly disclosed.