Alfa Romeo is going back to the US for the first time in almost 20 yearsWith the dust now starting to settle on Chrysler’s move in to the hands of Fiat, more detail is starting to emerge on exactly what the US will get in the way of Fiat products.
We already know that the only Fiat making its way to the US is the Fiat 500, but it now looks as if a big chunk of the Alfa Romeo range will make the journey too.
Sergio Marchionne, Fiat’s boss and the new head of Chrysler, has been working on rationalising Chrysler’s management and working out the best way forward. As mentioned, only the Fiat 500 will be offered for sale in America (and probably built in Mexico), with Fiat platforms being used to build new Chryslers that will be designed and built in the States.
Fiat already has a presence at the top end of the market in the States with Ferrari and Maserati, but it now seems clear that they will be launching Alfa Romeo back in to the States for the first time in almost 20 years, to take on the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
How well that will work remains to be seen. Alfas do not have the best reputation for reliability, although they are glorious to look at and (usually) to drive. But the new Alfa Romeo MiTo is, so far, proving not only to be reliable but to be holding its value with the best, which might signal a shift in the build quality of Alfas as a whole.
Be interesting to see how the Americans take to Alfa Romeo. There will no doubt be a small section of petrol heads who can’t wait to get their hands on an Alfa Romeo, but there are probably enough younger, style-conscious buyers who will be tempted by the glory that is Alfa Romeo.
