Fiat’s plan to bring Alfa Romeo back to the U.S. market is being threatened by the weak U.S. dollar. As a result, the Italian automaker is reportedly talking to Detroit’s top three automakers about sharing production of Alfa Romeo s.
The apparent aim of the talks is to avoid having to build a costly production facility by instead finding a partner. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne wouldn’t say which automakers his company was talking to, but he told the Financial Times “you don’t even need a full hand to count them.”
Previously, Marchionne mentioned production in the “NAFTA area” might be necessary, but this is the first time he has singled out the Detroit Three as partners — a move that might surprise some.
Detroit’s three automakers — GM, Ford , and Chrysler — have all been shrinking their operations, meaning they might have unused production capacity available.
One thing is for sure — for Alfa to be a successes in America, U.S. production is a must. “Nobody making anything in Europe is going to make profits in the U.S.,” he said. “You can’t.”
Of course, Alfa won’t be able to set up U.S. production by next year — when U.S. sales are expected to begin — so it will have to absorb the loss from importing vehicles until assembly with a partner here begins.
At launch, Alfa Romeo will only offer the 8C Competizione, but plans to follow with the 159 sedan, Brea 2+2 coupe and Spider two-seater.
