Turin luck: Alfa Romeo boss details radical comeback plan

Peugeot is a very different brand to Alfa Romeo, so what lessons did Imparato learn there that can be applied here? “Stability,” he answers resolutely. “Don’t change the strategy every morning. Spend your time executing instead of changing it. Secondly, protect the value, the pricing power. I think those two points will do the job. It can take 30 years to build a brand and 10 seconds to kill it.”

He wants Alfa Romeo to be the global premium brand of Stellantis, “to be known everywhere” but also for everyone. “Everybody deserves the beauty of an Alfa Romeo,” says Imparato. “Not everybody is rich. If you have a reasonable wage, you can buy a piece of beauty. We aren’t elitist; we’re for all.”

An important (and hugely expensive) part of the Alfa Romeo jigsaw is its participation in Formula 1. Imparato renewed the brand’s partnership with Sauber six months into the job and says he did so because F1 is the only global motorsport series that brings return on investment.

“It’s consistent with our country mix: the Americas, Asia and Europe. We get worldwide coverage,” he explains. “We’re well connected with the Sauber team. It isn’t a power relationship; we’re a tribe. We will make an assessment every year. With the new regulations and with [multiple race winner] Valtteri [Bottas joining], we have ambitions. If we’re up on last year, the job is done and we invest again.”

It helps that Imparato is an F1 fan: he plans to be at seven races this season, including Barcelona, Bahrain and Texas, and each grand prix will be closely aligned to Tonale launches in the respective markets. “There’s a high level of connection between the seasons and the business side,” he explains.

Imparato is also a perfectionist, which is why he delayed the launch of the Tonale. He wasn’t happy with the electric-only range of the plug-in hybrid variant, nor the “Alfa Romeo touch and feel” of the regular hybrid.

Now the first car of Alfa Romeo’s planned resurgence is signed off, there’s optimism that the firm has a bright future ahead, not only for the business but also maintaining the emotion for which it is famous.

A big part of that is Alfa Romeo’s Italian roots – something its French boss loves. “My second country is Italy,” he says. “I love the way it works: it’s a mix between a rush and patience for life. It’s sometimes tough but never sad. I can compare the passion for cars here with in the UK and Germany. The guys are mad for cars, and that’s fundamental. For me, this is the best moment of my life.”

The UK perspective

Alfa Romeo’s 2021 performance in the UK – just 1574 cars sold for a 0.1% market share – reflects the fact that it currently has only two models on sale, the Giulia saloon and Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV, neither of which targets the segments in highest demand.

Compare that to the early 2000s, when volume was about 17,000, and the picture isn’t pretty. But Alfa Romeo UK boss Damien Dally is hopeful.

“We’re going from two relatively small segments to the largest,” he says. “This is really good news for our retailers, because immediately we have much wider appeal.

“The other thing is electrification, which is a big deal for Alfa Romeo. It gives us an opportunity in the fleet market that we haven’t had before.”

Dally hopes that the Tonale, plus the subsequent new cars, will extend the brand’s purchase appeal beyond the typical male enthusiast towards more families and females.

There’s no aspiration to compete on volume with the German giants, but Dally believes Alfa Romeo can get back to its heyday within five years or so.

“We don’t want to have models in every segment,” he says. “We’re a brand with amazing heritage which makes cars that can be enjoyed every day. Our mantra is to develop cars that people fall in love with, which isn’t a mass-market approach.