wo jun 24, 2015 09:56
Hier een mooi artikel uit de Detroit press .
Laat precies zien waar Alfa nu staat en waar het naar toe wil werken.
Marchionne wil Ferrari ook naar de beurs brengen. Niet als een autofabrikant maar als een lifestyle item dus met een premium prijskaartje.
De introductie van de nieuwe Alfa Romeo lijn made in Italy is tevens onderdeel van het masterplan dat afgestemd is met premier Renzi om italiaans design weer op de kaart te zetten en met de world class manufacturing fabrieken te verbinden met premium kwaliteit.
Laten we ons verrassen vanmiddag.
MILAN, Italy -- Hundreds of journalists and other invited guests are beginning to arrive in Milan, Italy -- the birthplace of the Alfa Romeo, to see CEO Sergio Marchionne unveil a new sedan that will herald the beginning of the automaker's product renaissance.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is planning to launch eight new products by 2018 under a 5 billion euro ($7 billion) plan to take on premium German brands in the U.S. and Europe such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
On Wednesday, Marchionne is planning to unveil the the an all-new midsize sedan -- expected to be named Giulia -- at Alfa Romeo's historical museum here in Milan.
The company began selling the Alfa Romeo 4C in the U.S. last year, but only is producing enough to sell about 1,000 annually in the U.S.
The goal with the Giulia and the cars and SUVs that will follow is far more ambitious. Marchionne has set a goal to more than quadruple Alfa Romeo's worldwide sales from 95,000 in 2013 to more than 400,000 by 2018, with 150,000 coming in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Residents in Milan still remember when Alfa Romeo was based here and are excited to hear Marchionne and FCA talking about a plan to revive the brand.
In fact, the Alfa Romeo's badge includes a snake and a cross, representing the two ruling families of Milan in the 11th century. And, the local Italian media is calling the introduction of the Giulia as the beginning of a potential renaissance, or redemption of the brand's heritage.
"We are looking forward to having Alfa Romeo back on track again," said professor Giorgio Barba Navaretti, an economist at the University of Milan. "Older Italians are really pleased to see new Italian cars coming out."
For Milan, the heart of banking, commerce and fashion in Italy, restoring Alfa Romeo to its former glory would bring back some of its pride even though the brand is now part of FCA and no longer has a presence here.
"Historically, it's been a very, very appealing brand. That has been diluted and lost, I would say. You can still think of reviving the brand."
Nevertheless, Navaretti predicts the automaker will face a daunting challenge as it works to reintroduce the brand to Americans.
For starters, Navaretti said Marchionne is trying to so something few other automakers are doing today. Marchionne's plan is to produce the Alfa Romeo's at factories in Italy and parlay the brand's heritage and status as an Italian made brand into a status symbol worthy of premium car prices.
That's an uphill battle because the brand is currently viewed as more of a mainstream brand in Europe and hasn't been sold in the U.S. since the early 1990s. Alfa Romeo's sales were modest through the 1980s, peaking at 8,201 in 1987.
Max Warburton, analyst with Bernstein Research, is even more dubious about Marchionne's plan and remains unconvinced that the automaker will actually invest the amount that has been promised.
"Talk of a dramatic improvement in FCA profitability, driven by Alfa – or attributing a big value to the brand – is misguided in our view. Despite our love of Alfa's past, we're unconvinced by its future" Warburton wrote in a research note last week. "FCA looks like one of the industry's weakest players and is overvalued."
Marchionne, however, has said more than 600 engineers and technicians have been working exclusively on Alfa Romeo's product assault in a top secret research and development center near Modena, Italy, for the past two years and has vowed to restore the brand, with its deep racing heritage, to its former glory.
IHS Automotive said it expects the automaker will sell about 40,000 Giulia's per year after production is ramped up and it is available in all markets. From 2017 to 2020, IHS expects the Giulia to be Alfa's second-best selling vehicle, delivering about 22% of the brand's total global volume.
"Alfa Romeo is also looking to establish a place amongst luxury brands when several other automakers are in the midst of similar offensives, each at different points in the process," IHS said in its report. "This is a process that took Audi roughly 15 years, but the company's commitment and consistent execution have paid off, and it has been a top-tier luxury brand for several years."
Alfa 155 Q4 WB 1995
Alfa GT jtd 2004 Quaife Q2
ex: Alfa 33 1.7 ie 1991 WTCC Q2 - 484.500 km
Originally Posted by Jeremy Clarkson
A turbo: exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster.