Alfa Romeo's return to the USA (in 2012?)

[siko]

FIAT CEO Sergio Marchionne confirms Alfa Romeo's return to the USA
04.05.2006

During yesterday's conference call to announce Fiat's first quarter financial results, CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that Alfa Romeo is gearing up for an imminent return to the USA.

Fiat's Alfa Romeo division has long eyed a full-scale return to the hugely lucrative United States market which it withdrew from more than a decade ago, but several ambitious target dates in recent years have had to be postponed. However with a new model range that has been engineered from the outset to meet stringent US crash and safety regulations Fiat CEO Marchionne has been putting a careful timetable in place to realise this ambition.

Firmly cementing the new strategic relationship between Fiat's Maserati and Alfa Romeo brands will be that Alfa Romeo's model range will be distributed through the US-based Maserati dealer network, which itself over the last year, has been separated from its previous union with Ferrari. Maserati CEO Karl-Heinz Kalbfell who has been working on the long-term future of the two Fiat Auto brands as one of his roles, has been drawing up fresh plans along with James Selwa, the former Rolls-Royce North America CEO who Kalbfell brought in to take charge of Maserati North America once it was removed from Maranello's control and returned to the Fiat Auto fold. No timetable has been laid out yet, but it is expected it could come as early as late next year.

Launch models are likely to comprise of the evocative members of Alfa Romeo's new 'breed' of sports models: the Alfa 159, Brera and Spider. Also into the mix is likely to be added the 8c Competizione with a chunk of the 500-unit production run of this 'halo' model scheduled for commercialisation next year heading across the Atlantic. The 8c Competizione coupé is itself an excellent example of the new partnership between Alfa Romeo and Maserati as it will be based on the latter's forthcoming Coupé/Spyder architecture and will incorporate its new 4.7-litre V8 engine.

Meanwhile the Italian ULIM union was quick to express its full support for the decision to return to North America. "The fact that Alfa Romeo is returning to the US market is good news for the Fiat Group, and especially for the factory at Pomigliano d'Arco, Naples, where the production of models 147 and 159 is increasing. When Italian models are successful abroad, it's something to be proud of," UILM General-Secretary Antonino Ragazzi told the AGI news agency yesterday. "The Fiat factory of Pomigliano is hiring more and more young workers, to boost production and employment."

Source: Italianspeed

 

[zetableh]

Re: Alfa Romeo's to return to the USA

I less-than-three the Brera

 

[Deutsch]

Re: Alfa Romeo's to return to the USA

Very exciting news, the return of affordable Italian sporting car. Hopefully their reliability has improved and I really look forward to seeing these things around. Only question is when?

 

[siko]

Re: Alfa Romeo's to return to the USA

I'd be also curious about their pricing strategy?!

 

[Laurent]

Alfa Romeo Confirms Return to North American Market

Alfa Romeo Confirms Return to North American Market
Re-Launch Speared by New Sedan, Wagon and Sports Cars

Full article and source: http://news.en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/article.aspx?cp-documentid=493042

After taking a considerable decade and a half pause from the North American market (excluding Mexico), it has been confirmed that Alfa Romeo will be returning to North America. Earlier last week, Fiat Auto CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that the company was "readying itself for an imminent return" during the firm’s first-quarter financial result report, and while no date has been set in stone, the big arrival is expected to take place sometime during early 2007.

Although the brand’s exact date of arrival is not known, and there’s no official information about which vehicles will initially be available, insiders and industry analysts have painted a pretty accurate picture of what will be heading our way. Certain to be included will be the 159 sedan, a critically-acclaimed BMW 3-Series-sized four-door that’s set to target the compact luxury segment. The range will most likely feature the Twin Spark inline-four series engines, as well as the Holden-designed, but Alfa-modified V6 engines. A 159 wagon will follow, and both cars will be offered with a unique all -wheel drive system featuring Torsen’s new ’C’ variable differential.

 

[Imhotep Evil]

Re: Alfa Romeo Confirms Return to North American Market

Finalmente, but are the gremlins all fixed to lure american buyers ?!

 

[450SEL6.9]

Re: Alfa Romeo Confirms Return to North American Market

The 159 is fugly.. What was wrong with the 156.

Alfas were available in North America when I first moved there. There weren't many on the road though. The dealer and service network was tiny.

 

[Zafiro]

Alfa Romeo’s US relaunch pegged for spring 2009

Fiat Group’s strong financial performance this past year has seen it bring forward the US relaunch of its Alfa Romeo brand to spring of 2009. The launch was originally scheduled for the second half of the year, but a turnaround in profits and rise of 89% in Fiat’s share pirce means it’s now in the position to speed up its US market assault reports Just Auto.

The first car sold Stateside will be the 8C Competizione, which will make its world debut by the end of next year. This will be followed by the convertible ‘8C Spider’ that’s reported to be entering production during this time and will join the coupe variant in the US launch. Production numbers will be limited to retain exclusivity, with only 500 units of each bodytype expected to be produced.

Two new sports cars will join the lineup soon after the initial launch, the V6 powered Spider and Brera models. Both are based on the shortened wheelbase of Alfa’s 159 sedan and are powered by a 3.2L version of GM’s high-feature V6 engine. These will be followed up with Alfa’s bread and butter model, the midsized 159 sedan that will arrive in 2010.

 

[NarutoRamen]

Re: Alfa Romeo’s US relaunch pegged for spring 2009

I hope alfa comes man...we need some beatiful italian cars here.

 

[Merc1]

Re: Alfa Romeo’s US relaunch pegged for spring 2009

Great, great news. Two things they must do right this time, reliability/quality of their cars and dealership service otherwise forget it! That said I can't wait.

M

 

[wltsm]

Re: Alfa Romeo’s US relaunch pegged for spring 2009

I'm sure Alfa will succeed in America, the only thing though is they need a V8 for the American market!

 

[PanterroR]

Alfa Romeo confirmed for 2008 US arrival

It’s finally official. Alfa Romeo will return to US shores next year with the debut of the 8C Competizione supercar. Maserati North America boss Jim Selwa made the announcement at the unveiling of the final production version of the US-spec 8C at the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance over the weekend. According to Selwa, the 8C will be priced upwards of $200,000 and only about 100 cars are earmarked for the US.

Production of the new 8C will top 500 units for the coupe and another 500 for the convertible Spider, making it one of the most exclusive Alfas in history. Alfa Romeo cars haven’t been sold in the US since 1995. Back then they were known for their unreliability and shoddy workmanship.

A lot has changed over the past decade. Today Alfa produces some of the most stylish cars on the market and has quickly caught up with some of its European rivals, although there is still some way to go.

The new 8C flagship features a carbon fiber body, a 450hp 4.7L V8 and a six-speed paddle-shifter transmission. Following the 8C, Alfa is expected to launch its 159 Sedan and Brera Coupe.

Source: Motor Authority » Alfa Romeo confirmed for 2008 US arrival

 

[bmer]

Alfa Romeo to open new plant in US

View attachment 3ec652bd1110548dd0b6cdd9d27ef1a1.jpg

Posted Dec 12th 2007 9:33AM
by Noah Joseph

Alfa Romeo isn't kidding around about its return to the US market: Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed that Alfa is planning to open a factory in the United States.

Citing the drop in the US dollar against the Euro as a principal motivating factor, Marchionne said that manufacturing cars in America was vital to the profitability of Alfa's stateside venture. The Canadian-Italian industrialist anticipated that Alfa would only begin making a profit after three or four years in the US.

This won't be the first time a Fiat division has manufactured in the United States. In 1909 the Italian automaker inaugurated a plant in Poughkeepsie in upstate New York which it closed a decade later.

Meanwhile, industry sources indicate that Alfa's main factory at Pomigliano d'Arco in southern Italy will close for two months beginning in January as a last-ditch effort to get Alfa Romeo build quality up to spec or else face complete closure.


Source: Alfa Romeo to open new plant in US - Autoblog

 

[Merc1]

BusinessWeek - Alfa Romeo Returns to the States

Alfa Romeo's return to the U.S. has been talked about off and on, and anticipated by car enthusiasts, in similar fashion to how opera fans anticipate whether Placido Domingo might reprise the starring role in Pagliacci.

In both cases, one has to wonder what the impact of either would be aside from the spectacle.

But while Domingo shows no signs of donning the clown makeup again soon, the Italian sports carmaker, a division of Fiat (FIA.MI), is not only making a comeback to American shores this summer, but it thinks so much of its prospects that it's scouting for a partner with which it might build vehicles in the U.S. to avoid the stiff penalty pricing on imports because of the weak U.S. dollar.

After Alfa Romeo packed up what remained of its brand in the U.S. in 1995, it has talked several times about a return. Financial woes, though, kept Fiat focused on its home European market, especially as the European Union made it easier for Asian car companies to encroach on previously protected markets. Today, with Fiat making money, the U.S. is back on its radar.

Distribution Channel?

Alfa, which has been owned by Fiat since 1986, will enter the U.S. with a super-premium offering this summer: the 8C Competizione, a 450-hp V8 coupe that will cost in excess of $200,000. The car will retail through Ferrari-Maserati dealerships. Just 90 will be imported to the U.S. and they are nearly all spoken for.

For future Alfas, the company is still deciding on what distribution channel it will use. Depending on the models Fiat plans to export or build in the U.S., piggybacking on the Ferrari-Maserati network makes the most sense.

Marketing cars that cost below $100,000, such as Alfa Romeo's Spider, MiTo, or the 159 will require Alfa Romeo to boost its quality ratings. Alfa Romeo scored below the industry average for customer satisfaction in surveys done by J.D. Power and Associates for Germany, France, and Britain this year. In Britain, Alfa ranked 31st out of 33 brands.

Italian Pride

Still, there is an audience in America for almost every brand, especially foreign premium brands. Italian-Americans, not surprisingly, were a key constituency of both Alfa Romeo and Fiat when both brands were sold in the U.S. The Alfa Romeo Spider has a revered place in American cinema, as the car Dustin Hoffman's character drove in the 1967 film The Graduate. In The Godfather, Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, drove a black Alfa Romeo 6C while in exile in Sicily. This was the car that was booby-trapped and exploded with Apollonia, his Sicilian wife.

Fiat executives have been cagey about specifying sales volumes for the U.S., as well as specific models beyond the 8C. But Alfa Romeo CEO Sergio Marchionne told Automotive News last January that the brand should reach annual sales of 20,000 in the short term and 50,000 units in the medium term. Back in 1995 Alfa sold just 500 cars.

The cost of relaunching in the U.S. is expected to be around $150 million. AutoWeek has reported the models coming to the U.S. will be Alfa's next-generation midsize 159 sedan shown at the Geneva Auto Show (BusinessWeek.com, 3/4/08) last February, the Brera coupe, and Spider. All three models are built on the same engineering platform.

An Alfa 159 today costs between $40,000 and $52,000 when British pounds are converted to dollars. In that range, the Italian brand would be competing head-to-head with such marquee brands as Toyota's (TM) Lexus, General Motors' (GM) Cadillac, Nissan's (NSANY) Infiniti, Honda's (HMC) Acura, BMW (BMWG), and Mercedes-Benz (DAI).

But it would have the advantage, and unique selling proposition, of being the only Italian in the room.


Alfa Romeo Returns to the States


I can't wait to see this. An Italian car I can afford!


M

 

[cawimmer430]

Re: BusinessWeek - Alfa Romeo Returns to the States

Alfa's might not be the most durable or reliable cars on the road, but they sure as hell have design character.

I think that when you buy an Alfa you buy it because of emotions and not because of logic. It's an emotional purchase.

 

[Tarek]

Re: BusinessWeek - Alfa Romeo Returns to the States

^Indeed i'm very happy with my 156

 

[cawimmer430]

Re: BusinessWeek - Alfa Romeo Returns to the States

^Indeed i'm very happy with my 156

How about upgrading to a 159?

 

[Tarek]

Re: BusinessWeek - Alfa Romeo Returns to the States

Actually i'm waiting for the new Mito

 

[cawimmer430]

Re: BusinessWeek - Alfa Romeo Returns to the States

Actually i'm waiting for the new Mito

Never heard of that one!

 

[Tarek]

Re: BusinessWeek - Alfa Romeo Returns to the States

Never heard of that one!

The new MINI killer