A German news outlet is reporting that Volkswagen executives have yet again made it public that they have a strong desire to acquire the world famous Alfa Romeo brand from Italy’s Fiat.
Volkswagen has made it clear to the world that it fully intends to overtake Toyota as the world’s top automaker by or before 2018, and as part of that plan the automaker has raised and reserved approximately $22.3 billion to finance key acquisitions along the one.
One such desired acquisition would be for Fiat’s sporty Alfa Romeo brand, and according to German auto newspaper Automobilwoce via Reuters. In fact, the newspaper quoted what was described as a “high ranking” VW executive as saying, “If such a treasure could be had, we must not hesitate … too long,” in reference to Alfa Romeo.
VW’s longing for Alfa Romeo is not new, and is likely driven by the relative failure of its own counterpart for Alfa Romeo, Seat. Although Seat sold nearly three times as many vehicles as did Alfa Romeo in 2009, the Spanish brand has not managed to do well outside of its home market – something VW believes it succeed at with the heritage of the Alfa Romeo brand.
Fiat clarifies that Alfa is not for sale
Although VW has made it clear that it would like to purchase Alfa Romeo, the brand’s owner, Fiat, has made it equally clear that it has no desire to do so.
“As already said by (Fiat CEO Sergio) Marchionne, there is no plan to sell the Alfa Romeo brand,” a Fiat spokesman told Reuters on Monday.
References
1.”Volkswagen eyes Fiat’s Alfa…’ view
