BMW & Fiat talking over MINI / Alfa Romeo cooperation

[Foxfire]

That's true. Alfa's probably as good as FWD gets. I've been waiting for some news on the 169, which will definitely be RWD. It was rumored to be based on the next Maserati Quattroporte platform, but reportedly Alfa scrapped that because of the high cost. A Quattroporte based 169 would really give BMW/MB/Audi a run for their money. Also Fiat was rumored to be in talks with Jaguar/Tata for the XF platform and Mercedes for E-class. Don't know how this is gonna turn out.

 

[EnI]

How would BMW reposition Alfa?

Perhaps BMW brand would be repositioned. Pushed further up-scale. Into MB territory, or even above.

Alfa could be the Cadillac, Volvo, Infiniti, Acura & Audi (in US market only!!!!) rival.



Mind it's all a pure speculation.

 

[Merc1]

BMW is already in MB territory!

The next Mini and Fiat 500 on the same platform, makes sense.

Question is how much help is BMW going to give Alfa and Fiat in the U.S. when they could take sales away from lower level BMWs and the Mini.


M

 

[Foxfire]

Perhaps BMW brand would be repositioned. Pushed further up-scale. Into MB territory, or even above.

Alfa could be the Cadillac, Volvo, Infiniti, Acura & Audi (in US market only!!!!) rival.

As Merc1 said, BMW is already in MB territory. Going (or staying if you like) slightly downmarket with Alfa would not represent a wide enough gap to differentiate. Some of the best cars Alfa has the potential to make (159/169) aim to compete in the higher segment, and if you were to deprive them of that, to just leave Alfa with MiTo and 149 as an "in-between" brand of MINI and BMW, well that would be just sad. I'm amazed at how good 159 turned out to be considering the platform it is based on and the mismanagement Alfa has been put through (up until recently, it seems). As much as I love BMW and the rest of German manufacturers, I'm afraid neither would know what to do with Alfa. So I hope Fiat continues its revival and gives us more variety and some of that Italian flare in the luxury market.

 

[bmer]

Perhaps this speculation about BMW buying Alfa Romeo from Fiat is a bit too far-fetched. There is a long way from co-operation to actually purchasing a brand.

 

[Nikos120i]

Fiat and BMW officially confirm agreement - EnI help!

EnI et all I need your opinion on this:

"Fiat and BMW officially confirm agreement
posted: Wednesday 09 July 2008 by Alison in: BMW Fiat

produzione fiat It’s official: the agreement between Fiat Autombiles and BMW AG does not regard however, as first thought, the Mini and Fiat brands, but rather Mini and Alfa Romeo. A letter of intent (precluding the official contract), has been signed by Friedrich Eichner, member of BMW board of directors and brand development manager, and Alfredo Altavilla, head of business development at Fiat Automobiles and Fiat Powertrain Technologies.

The agreement includes engines and transmission as these are the principal technologies of the Powertrain division. The two sides have said “the possibilities of reaching a common use of components and systems on Alfa Romeo and Mini vehicles is being examined to create economies of scale and cost reduction”. If these initial contacts turn out well, Fiat and BMW should sign the definitive undertaking by the end of the year.

Via | Quattroruote "

Fiat and BMW officially confirm agreement

Will BMW (brand) be affected by this?

 

[jack]

Re: Fiat and BMW officially confirm agreement - EnI help!

Will BMW (brand) be affected by this?

definitly NOT, what would you expect ? a 1 series based on the grande punto ? never going to happen

-sorry i'm not eni

 

[Nikos120i]

Re: Fiat and BMW officially confirm agreement - EnI help!

definitly NOT, what would you expect ? a 1 series based on the grande punto ? never going to happen

-sorry i'm not eni

My thoughts exactly!

Just wanted to confirm this...

 

[Nikos120i]

Re: Fiat and BMW officially confirm agreement - EnI help!

"BMW Announce Platform Sharing Agreement with Fiat Group

Today BMW announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to share future platforms with the Fiat group. If you are about to go head over heels at a prospect of seeing a BMW 3-series carrying the Fiat label, you need not worry, the cooperation agreement proposes that the Mini and Alfa Romeo brands will share future platforms.

"We are currently examining with the Fiat Group possibilities for the joint use of components and systems in MINI and Alfa Romeo vehicles in order to achieve economies of scale and thus cost reductions within the framework of our Strategy Number ONE",said Friedrich Eichiner, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

Full details of how the collaboration will work are yet to be revealed, but it is likely the agreement will not be seen in production form until the third generation Mini Cooper which is still some five years away.
Source: BMW AG "

BMW Announce Platform Sharing Agreement with Fiat Group

 

[Tarek]

So how AR and MINI gonna share platforms? the only cars i can see sharing is MITO and MINI since the same size but nothing bigger than that

 

[Nikos120i]

So how AR and MINI gonna share platforms? the only cars i can see sharing is MITO and MINI since the same size but nothing bigger than that

That's a good question...can anybody answer that?

I presume that maybe new versions of the Mito or Mini might be based on that platform.

 

[Sunny]

Re: Breakning News: BMW and Fiat in small-car alliance!

Just saw this thread, anything that would bring Alfa Romeo back to this side of the pond is exciting news.

...........and in an office some where in Stuttgart Mercedes executives are leaning back relieved that they parted with Chrylser and are now hoping that BMW will inherit some of Fiat's horrific quality and reliability. .

And only if one stood in the middle of the Time square with a sign board around the chest that says 'You wish a meteor would wipe BMW off this planet', maybe (and just maybe) would the desperation be a mite more obvious.

 

[Tarek]

^ lol Sunny u just can't hold it

 

[Sunny]

Hold what??

 

[Tarek]

^ Fighting back

 

[Sunny]

^Yeah, I am very good at that... over the internets

 

[Tarek]

^ Lol:d

 

[EnI]

So how AR and MINI gonna share platforms? the only cars i can see sharing is MITO and MINI since the same size but nothing bigger than that

next MiTo - next MINI
small SAV - next "Colorado SAV"
sub-MiTo - mini MINI
small AR roadster - MINI roadster
??? - ???


I guess it will be one modular platform for all models, or perhaps two of them. For several variants / models.

Mind MINI plans to sell 500,000 units yearly in the near future, while Alfa plans to sell at least 300,000 vehicles per year in the next years.

Goals for 2008:
Alfa: 150,000 units,
MINI: Oxford plant is able to produce 240,000 units annually - so at least 240,000

 

[jack]

so there are definitly other plants(other then oxford & graz) going to produce minis ?

 

[EnI]

so there are definitly other plants(other then oxford & graz) going to produce minis ?

Could be. Although both Graz & Oxford plant can be expanded.

Yet India & China are being seriously considered to produce / assamble MINIs - for local markets only.