The revival of the Alfa Romeo brand is a topic that continues to stir up passion, a sign that the Italian marque remains one of the most loved carmakers in the world. Following the report that said Alfa may launch seven new models, more details have surfaced about Fiat’s plans for the Milanese brand.
It appears that future high-end Alfa Romeos will be equipped with engines developed by Ferrari. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is aware that in order to turn Alfa Romeo into a rival for German premium brands, he needs to make it unique. Ferrari-tuned engines and Italian design may be his best cards.
“We want to exploit Ferrari’s know-how for Alfa Romeo engines. It would be foolish not to,” Marchionne said at the Detroit auto show in January, according to Bloomberg. The association with Ferrari could add an extra boost for Alfa Romeo.
The first model to use Ferrari is the Giulia sedan, which will be assembled at Fiat’s Cassino plant near Rome. The BMW 3-Series rival will feature versions of the V6 engines that Ferrari developed for the Maserati brand. These powerplants are expected to be produced at sites in Pratola Serra or Termoli in southern Italy.
While the new report from Bloomberg confirms that Fiat is considering ditching the MiTo and Giulietta, it also talks about boosting Alfa Romeo’s reach by selling its cars through Jeep’s 1,700 dealers outside North America, giving it a distribution network that better competes with BMW’s 3,200 sales outlets worldwide.
The idea behind this is that both brands appeal to consumers seeking alternatives to mainstream competitors and can co-exist because their products aren’t direct competitors – at least until Alfa Romeo releases its two planned SUVs.
Fiat will reveal its plans for Alfa Romeo in May during a Detroit presentation of the strategy for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
By Dan Mihalascu
Note: Alfa Romeo 159 and first-generation Alfa Romeo Giulia pictured
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