Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO Sergio Marchionne outlined a revised business plan for Alfa Romeo on Tuesday.
Unsurprisingly for those following the group’s product plan announcements over the years, FCA once again is rescheduling Alfa Romeo’s much-needed new car introductions.
We’ll promptly remind you of all the broken promises over the future of Alfa Romeo dating back a decade to the then Fiat Group’s 2006 Product Plan, with the most recent one being in 2014 when Marchionne said that the Italian brand’s product plan would be completed by 2018 with the presentation of seven new vehicles – besides the Giulia compact luxury sedan.
Now, FCA says that Alfa’s revised product-lineup will see the Giulia, which was revealed in the high-performance QV outfit last June, entering production by the end of March, with a mid-size SUV joining the range by the end of 2017, while 6 other models, including a hatchback, a BMW 5-Series-sized sports sedan, 2 CUV or SUVs, and 2 “specialty” vehicles to appear sometime between 2017 and 2020.
The company blamed “uncertainties in China” and the “need to guarantee proper global distribution network execution” for the two year delay in completing the planned product expansion for Alfa Romeo, which hopes to compete against BMW.