Delay in Alfa Romeo's Return Brings Desperation To The Fiat Dealers in USA

Alpha Romeo

American fans of the Alfa Romeo brand are not the only ones to be upset by the Fiat-Chrysler alliance's most recent decision to delay the scheduled return of the Italian automaker to the States. So are the company’s newly launched Fiat dealerships that were expecting the brand to launch in late 2012.

While Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne never put it in ink, the company had told its 130 Fiat dealers in the USA that they would likely get Alfa Romeo cars as part of their franchise.

The Fiat-Chrysler alliance appointed a total of 130 Fiat dealers across the States, most of which already had a Chrysler store. The company gave dealers the permission to incorporate temporary showrooms in their existing Chrysler facilities, but required them to build separate and permanent stores by the end of 2012.

"Right now I'm pretty disappointed because I have a pretty big investment in Fiat," Carl Galeana, owner of Fiat of Lakeside in suburban Detroit, told Automotive News. "I built my store predicated on the fact there would be more than Fiat." Galeana added that the company had not told them about the new delay.

Another CEO of a Chrysler dealership with a Fiat store, who asked not to be named, told the news site: "This delay is not positive for dealers who have invested and committed to the Fiat franchise."

However, there are dealers who are not bothered by the absence of Alfa Romeo in their showrooms as they focus on the Fiat 500, 500C and the upcoming Abarth variants.

"Most of my customers are just happy with what we have," said Louis Perez, a salesperson at Fiat of Portland in Maine. "Fiat is a stand-alone vehicle anyway, and it works out well. We'll have an Abarth coming."

Alfa Romeo's revised plan calls for the arrival of the BMW 3-Series challenging Giulia in 2014, instead of 2012, while the company canceled plans to build a mid-size SUV in 2014.

A smaller crossover that was originally scheduled to enter the market in 2012 is now due in 2013, the same year that will (allegedly) see the introductions of the 4C mid-engine coupe and the MiTo subcompact.

In 2014, Alfa Romeo will present the two-seater Spider (originally planned for 2013) and the Giulietta compact hatchback, while the company's plan also includes a large rear-wheel drive sedan that shares its platform hardware with the next Maserati Quattroporte.

Story sources: Autonews [sub.req.]

Another Month, Another Delay: Alfa Romeo Won't Come to the States Until 2013, Cancels SUV Plans

Alfa 4C
In what has become something of a joke for those closely following the Fiat Group's plans to re-introduce Alfa Romeo to the States, the Milanese firm's CEO Harald Wester told journalists in Frankfurt that the company has once again pushed back the U.S. presentation of several key models.Wester also said that Alfa Romeo has canceled plans to build a mid-sized SUV at Chrysler Group's factory in Ohio.

In July, and following a string of delays that began in 2000, Fiat and Chrysler Group head honcho Sergio Marchionne said that Alfa Romeo would enter the U.S. market with the 4C sports car before the end of 2012, and launch a compact crossover model in 2013.

Now, Marchionne is claiming that the current debt crisis in Europe is forcing the company to reevaluate the timing of its new vehicle introductions.

"We are reviewing volumes and the timing of new products to see when it is really necessary to launch them," Marchionne said.

Under the new plan –which could very well be reassessed in a couple of months […]- Alfa will bring the 4C to the States in the first half of 2013, and the Ford Fiesta-sized MiTo hatchback in the second part of the same year.

In addition, the latest plan ditches the Jeep Liberty-based Alfa Romeo crossover and instead calls for a large rear-wheel drive sports sedan, loosely based on the next generation Maserati Quattroporte which will appear sometime after 2014.

Story source: Automotive News [Sub. Req.]

IAA 2011: Alfa Romeo 4C Concept Shows us its New Metal Finish

Alpha Romeo 4C

While many were expecting to see the final production version of Alfa Romeo's 4C mid-engine sports car in Frankfurt, the Italian automaker chose to keep playing the waiting game and simply displayed the concept in a different shade called "Fluid Metal".

Aside from the new hue, nothing else has changed since we first saw the study at this year's Geneva Salon in March.

The lightweight 4C is fitted with Alfa Romeo's 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering over 200-horses, mounted behind the driver. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through the "Alfa TCT" twin dry clutch transmission.

Alfa Romeo said that it plans to put the 4C into series production in 2013.

Photo Gallery: