Alfa Romeo is looking to stage a comeback both in the United States and Europe. Reliability issues and dwindling sales chased Alfa Romeo from the US in 1995, and, despite some promising models, the brand’s image has suffered recently in Europe due to questionable quality and aging designs.
However, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has stated that the brand will begin its recovery not in its home territory of Europe but in the United States, where it will be easier to re-establish the company’s reputation.
“We are going to target the U.S. market first and work our way back into Europe,” Marchionne said in an interview in Turin, Italy. “We have run market tests on the desirability of the Alfa brand in the U.S. and — notwithstanding our long absence from the market — it’s still one of the best brands in the world, and I think we need to go back and grab it.”
The brand’s return to the U.S. will be spearheaded by the MiTo subcompact and 4C sports car, both of which will arrive in 2013.
Marchionne revealed that Alfa’s U.S. sales target is 85,000 units for 2014. The brand’s global sales goal for that year is 400,000 vehicles; in 2010, the brand recorded worldwide sales of just 155,000 units.
References
1.’Marchionne to target…’ view
