Sunday, October 26, 2008

Fiat postpones Alfa's return to the States?

Fiat postpones Alfa's return to the States?


Dang. And everything was looking so good for a return of the Alfa Romeo brand to the United States. Too bad, it seems, 'cause the latest reports indicate that the Italian purveyor of stylish automobiles such as the Brera, 159 and the drool-worthy 149 will be pushed back to 2011 at the earliest. Fortunately for the very well heeled, the Alfa 8C Competizione has been made available through an assorted group of Maserati dealerships, though it's already sold out. Such a quick sellout indicates that there are plenty of enthusiasts anxiously awaiting the marque's entrance Stateside, but our current horrible economic climate will likely dictate otherwise.

Alfa's owner, Fiat, is having difficulties of its own as it attempts to stem the tide of falling sales figures along with rest of the industry. Apparently, the only way for Fiat to make money selling cars in America is to build them here. We wish some sort of deal could be made with Cerberus to use up some of the under-utilized factories that Chrysler currently has available. and a deal Something like this could indeed take place, but probably not until the auto market stabilizes and the Detroit 3 figure out their various positions in the new-look landscape.

[Source: Italispeed]