Cars that have you thinking there's no recession are one of the major attractions at the Geneva motor show, the Rolls-Royce Wraith and LaFerrari among them.
What's interesting to hear, however, is how Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne plans to rejuvenate Alfa Romeo.
This is not the first time he has attempted a revival, and the challenge looks as mountainous as ever — how Fiat plans to elevate Alfa to the level of the German premium three, in product terms at least, is intriguing to learn.
Future Alfa Romeos will have three core characteristics, says Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne. "First, design. Second, the light-weighting of vehicles and third, unique powertrain solutions. And we have met the target with the 4C," he says. America is the priority, the 4C to spearhead the reintroduction of the brand which departed in 1995.
Marchionne dismisses criticism that previous Alfa US revival plans have come to nothing by saying that "they never got executed". It will be different this time because of Chrysler, which provides a near-instant dealer network and platform-sharing opportunities that provide the foundation for long-term viability. "It couldn’t have been done before – the baseline investment would have exceeded the revenue," he commented.
But he’s not so certain about how Alfa can achieve a revival in Europe. "I don’t know at today’s price levels," he says referring to the current market's heavy discounting. "The degradation of prices is occurring not just in the mass market but the premium end, too."
Lightweight cars are expensive to make, as are advanced engines, as the 4C’s lofty sub-£50,000 ticket demonstrates. This price takes it well above a Porsche Cayman.
But there’s promise in this strategy, lightweight being something new for Alfa and a philosophy with the potential to yield real advances, especially in combination with strong design and the advanced engines that the brand has always offered.
"Without which means 300,000 sales by 2016 rather than the 92,000 Alfas sold last year," says Marchionne.
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Nice car, except perhaps the
Nice car, except perhaps the front lights.
Perhaps not enough fat.
Perhaps not enough fat. People like fat cars nowadays...
Bravo Fiat Group
The acquisition of Chrysler was a masterful decision.
The C Brand for the US market has saved the Italian group from the criminal decisions of the mindless Eurocrats, particularly Barroso Boys.
Now the Chrysler dealer outlets offer the best chance for a European manufacturer to establish its brands in the US market.
The big million dollar question is how long before another economic slide in the US?
Why did Alfa buy Chrysler
Ok they get the Chrysler dealerships in the US but otherwise surely Chrysler is a huge disadvantage . I mean what can Chrysler offer a performance car manufacturer .
Sounds about as dire as the ill fated Rover BMW partnership to me .
Old Toad, Chrysler has
Old Toad, Chrysler has actually done very well last year due to new decent models.