Fiat Chrysler Automobiles may have announced the initial 86 Alfa Romeo dealerships in North America only a week ago, but deposits are already pouring in for the Alfa Romeo 4C, the Italian brand’s first vehicle sold in the U.S. since 1995. At least that is what the owners of these stores say.
Many dealerships in the U.S. and Canada say their alloted 4Cs are already spoken for with deposits placed as long as two years ago. They expect strong demand for Alfa Romeos when the brand finally returns to the U.S.
According to a report from Automotive News, five of the Alfa franchise recipients said they had customer deposits of hundreds or thousands of dollars for yet-to-be delivered 4C sports cars.
Chrysler Group plans to award two more waves of Alfa Romeo franchises to dealers in the U.S. and Canada, one in the fourth quarter this year and the other in the first quarter of 2015. Therefore, five years from now, there will be about 300 Alfa Romeo stores in the two countries.
Peter Grady, head of network development for Chrysler Group, said the automaker plans to award two more waves of Alfa Romeo franchises to dealers in the United States and Canada.
“It’s all based on performance. They’re judged based on sales performance, customer advocacy and service advocacy,” said Peter Grady, head of network development for Chrysler Group.
He added that Alfa Romeo plans to bring only between 1,000 and 1,200 4Cs to North America each year before the brand’s reinvented lineup kicks off in 2016 with a mid-sized sedan.
By Dan Mihalascu
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