Chief executive officer of Fiat Sergio Marchionne said in the introduction event of the five-year plan to the shareholders: one of the main aims of Fiat Automobile is to resuscitate Alfa Romeo. To do this, new models are going to be developed and the firm is going to be back to the American market. Its aim is to increase selling from present 100 000 to 500 000 cars per year by the end of 2014.
Next to this, the chief executive officer affirmed without mentioning any concrete datum that Alfa Romeo is going to be sold on the American market through Chrysler dealers. According to Marchionne: Alfa Romeo can be really a competitive brand "if we stop Germans dominating segments C and D.”
Four new models are going to be introduced and two facelifts are planned to be processed by 2014. MiTo is going to be reconsidered in 2012, and a five-door version is going to be produced herewith to the American market in 2013, however current plans had not been about similar ones. Nevertheless three-door MiTo is going to be a European peculiarity. First facelift of Giulietta is dated 2014 with an introduction to American consumers. Brera and Spider is going to be discontinued in the middle of 2011, aforementioned one without any descendants.
To compensate this, utilizing the Chrysler-Alfa cooperation, a brand-new Spider is going to be constructed in 2013. The 159 is going to be produced by the end of 2012 but its descendant, Giulia, is going to be entered in the first half-year in sedan and station wagon body styles. These models are going to be sold on the US market immediately after European première. Any descendants of the 166 were not mentioned during the presentation, so it seems that Alfa Romeo will not have a flagship.
Two models are going to be constructed by Chrysler, these are SUVs from marketing segments C and D in 2012 and 2014.
Developer of engines, Fiat Powertrain, is going to introduce new engines and technical solutions in the following five years. One of these is MultiAir II control system and the introduction of variable valve actuation technology for diesel engines.
Temporarily under construction 2.0-2.4 litre four-cylinder engine (165-186 HP), and 3.3-3.6 litre V6 Pentastar engine, both by Chrysler can be relevant for Alfa Romeo but confidential clerk Alfredo Altavilla did not tell any details.
Moreover, Fiat Powertrain is planning a 6-gear automatic TCT transmission system which can be suitable for four-wheel drive models.
Translated by Ferenc Pozsonyi
