After an absence of more than a decade, Italian automaker Alfa Romeo is returning to the U.S. market. Alfa is largely remembered in the U.S. for quirky performance cars beloved by a small group of die-hard fans, but equally famous for their reliability problems. Today, the Alfa Romeo brand is a performance division of the European giant Fiat, which says it has smoothed out those famous reliability hiccups.
Fiat has lined up experienced help in resurrecting the Alfa name here. Autoblog reports that BMW "will provide Fiat Group Automobiles with support in launching the Alfa Romeo brand in the North American market," and, according to a Fiat spokesperson, "MINI U.S. dealers would have the possibility to also sell Alfa Romeo cars." Autoblog comments, "Alfa's return to the U.S. has been compared to the resurrection of MINI a few years back, and if Fiat can use the same nostalgia-laced branding, innovative ad campaigns and funky dealer experience, it will have a serious chance at success in the U.S. market."
The Detroit Free Press reports, "Alfa will start small. It plans to ship about a hundred $200,000-plus 8C Competizione super coupes here for the 2009 model year. The model line should expand to include the latest version of the classic Alfa Spider roadster and Alfa's classy line of sport sedans and wagons." While low-volume models may be the first Alfas in U.S. showrooms, the Fiat hopes the brand U.S. sales are both part of Fiat's plan to more than double Alfa's worldwide sales to 300,000 in 2010.
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