July8
BMW announced earlier today that it will be working with Fiat and Alfa Romeo on future small car platforms and engines, but it looks as though that partnership will also spread to the retail side of the car business.
Alfa Romeo is planning to make a return to the U.S. in 2010, but had no real plans in place on how to distribute its vehicles. There was talk of Alfa using Land Rover and Jaguar dealerships to distribute its vehicles, but with a large discrepancy in price, that solution didn’t make a lot of sense.
But the problem appears to be solved as some Mini dealers in the U.S. will also double as Alfa dealerships. “Mini U.S. dealers would have the possibility to also sell Alfa Romeo cars,” a Fiat spokesman told Automotive News Europe.
The move makes more sense that using Land Rover and Jaguar dealerships, but it’s possible that Alfa’s sales could eat into Mini’s. Alfa’s first car set to launch in the U.S. will be an entry-level premium five-door hatchback — code-named project 940 – which could spell trouble for Mini’s Clubman.
It is a bonanza for Mini dealer. They already have BMW as primary and Mini as secondary source of income and now third marque. And which dealer would not want to store C8 in his own collection?
Great idea. Now bring us the Fiat 500! That would spell trouble for the Mini Cooper!
BTW, the BBC Top Gear guys named the Mini Clubman both the worst and the ugliest car of the year.
These Alfa cars could definately be trouble for Mini… there offerings are so bland now… the styling is getting old already.
I think once MiTo (Alfa’s 500) will come ashore, it will be cross shopped by new Mini owners. Those who like MiTo will buy Alfa anyway, at least BMW will cash on either transaction.
Very odd to sell a direct competitor: this makes no sense. What salesperson is going push an Alfa over a MINI? They should be sold through Ferrari/Maserati dealerships.
Awesome. I’m glad to see Alfa coming to the US. Now Fiat needs to follow suit and get the 500 over here.
I really don’t understand why Mini dealers would be selling Alfa.. I would think the MiTo and smaller Alfas would directly compete with Mini, and the larger Alfa sedans and wagons, if eventually brought here, would be BMW competitors. I still think it makes more sense to offer Alfa models through Maserati dealers since none of the Alfa vehicles directly compete, and the additional showroom traffic generated from the lower-priced cars could benefit both makes.
meanpants and I seem to have a mind-meld!
Maybe Chef Boyardee could name a pasta after this. How about Mini Alfaghetti?
Ginos in woodbridge will be all over this car.
Different sets of people, get your metros straight.
Mini driver likes pints, ska, the Avengers, cricket and women that shave.
Alfa people like cappucinos, opera, the Sapranos, football (w/rnd ball), and women that dont shave.
I don’t know what LLN is smoking, but there’s very price/market little gap between JLR and Alfa/Fiat. The uplevel Alfas would have complemented Jaguar’s line of cars in America very well.
shaver, you haven’t been around Italians: they do love blond, well groomed (bare) women.
xyunya: would that be the men or the women?
zoomzoomer are you and RX-8 owner?
johnnycanuck, to be honest I never met Italian lesbian, so it would be man aiming for women. I am sure there are Italian fags, I haven’t been around those either. The moral: dark Italian man crave bare bottom blond women. Sometimes they are fooled
…talk about finding a hair in your minestrone.
Alfa’s have the UGLIEST grills possible…
It is simply not feasible to make an uglier grill. Its the old Ford Edsol grill…made worse!
For the love of god, may this crap fail hard here and stay in Europe…
Aren’t these Alfas gonna be built in shut down Chrysler plants?
Now the guy trying to fix you BMW’s rat’s nest wiring system is going to take on the Italians.
Yeah…your car will be fixed in 6 weeks, get a rental.
Welcome to Mialfa dealership
Heh, we all know what happened when the Germans and Italians last got together….
THawkoo,
I think Alfas have some of the nicest styling around, grilles included. Styling is subjective.
But more than that, the name of the car is spelled E-D-S-E-L. Had you actually looked at the grille you’re making fun of, you’d see how to spell the name of the car. Plus, those cars aren’t called Ford Edsel, but Edsel Ranger, Pacer, Corsair, Citation, Roundup, Villager, or Bermuda. Edsel was its own make throughout its 3-year life and the Ford name was nowhere on ‘em.
The problem with Ferrari/Maserati dealerships is they’re relatively few and are concentrated in just a handful of areas. Land Rover/Jaguar will probably leave the U.S. market by 2010 due to their ever-decreasing lack of sales.
I’m surprised they’re not partnering with GM since they share a lot of technology. Alfa/Fiat could make a nice addition to Saab/Cadillac/Hummer dealerships (especially after Hummer is sold off).
Thanks for that history listen, inline 6.
Being off by one letter clearly invalidates my argument.
Edsel is still Ford. It’s cars still had the ugliest grille in any land…until Alfa Romeo was so kind to rip it off and make it even uglier…
THawkoo,
Do you call a Forester a “Fuji Heavy Industrues Subaru”? How about a “GM Chevrolet”?
And being off one letter about Edsel doesn’t invalidate your point. The line before that did. Styling is subjective. Never mind the fact that all Alfas have had the same grille shape since the 1930s. So it wasn’t a ripoff of Edsel.
Might want to get your facts straight is my overarching point, though.
Try and dodge the fact that the Alfa has the most ugly grille in all the world any way you want….
I have. I don’t think it’s ugly. And luckily, I don’t consult your taste in styling before I buy a car. Styling is subjective. And I think Alfa’s grille is excellent.
===>>I think that grille is excellent too! not better than audi’s tho…lol
Alfas are pretty and the stitching on that MiTo is better than the interior found on any American car of the past 25 years (new Cadillac CTS included).
Fiat 500 ! NOW ! Hurry up !
The 500’s interior somehow reminded me of the Veyron.
Back on subject, i’m going to give a fresh suggestion. How about Mercedes dealerships? It will not compete with any of Mercedes’ cars because their entry-level begins at 30k+. It could be a small car competitor to BMW’s Mini as Mercedes’ Alfa.
^^ No, wait. They could export the A and B classes instead.
xyunya: Everybody craves the blondes. Trust me I have some.
^^^ I don’t. My hair was light complexion before becoming extinct and I prefer brunettes.