As a Yankee, This Makes My Soul Smile

"Group B-raaaaaaaaaap!" (AbarthGuy) 08/22/2013 at 18:00 • Filed to: None

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Every time new inventory arrives with the FIAT S.p.A. stickers on the doors, it reminds me that Alfa Romeo are on the way, someday.

Dogapult > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 08/22/2013 at 18:06

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please explain the sticker.

PS9 > Dogapult 08/22/2013 at 18:09

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What's to explain? It's a sticker on a Fiat that says 'Do not open'. So, of course you're supposed to open the car and do this...

Remember when you were a kid and your mom/dad/whoever told you not to go into the cookie jar? Same scenario.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > Dogapult 08/22/2013 at 18:11

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It's a factory seal put on after final inspection before it's loaded onto a trans-Atlantic car shipper. If you look closely, you can see that it is tamper-evident, so if those doors are opened, the sticker cannot be re-stuck, it essentially tatters. This is more or less done to prevent any 3rd parties (read: the dock workers and boathands) from using the vehicles as a secret stash spot for less-than-legal goods. It gets put on at the port of departure, and inspected on the port of arrival. there is a sticker on each door, the hood, and the trunk/hatch. If the stickers show they've been detached, that car gets stripped to the frame looking for narcotics/human trafficking/exotic sea slugs.

As a FIAT dealer, I just get super pumped seeing the Alfa Romeo badge in a professional setting. It serves as a reminder that even more Italian goodness is headed our way.

Frank Grimes > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 08/22/2013 at 18:18

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What models are posed to be coming here?

Dogapult > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 08/22/2013 at 18:19

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I figured most of that. Thank you for clarifying, though. Presumably, since you're at the dealership, you have the authority to break the seal, so to speak. that was the main part of my question: who is allowed to break the seal? I presume you, and the question is answered.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > Dogapult 08/22/2013 at 18:55

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That's a pretty good assumption, and that's what I thought too. But it turns out that once it passes a Customs inspection at the inbound port (in this case, the Port of Baltimore), it's A-OK to break the seal, so usually it's broken by the dock workers who move them from the boats to the trucks or rail cars.

We're a multi-brand dealer, so I was used to seeing this with BMW and Mercedes products (the sedans, anyway). It's always been funny to me, because it seems like a stern, authoritarian warning (DO NOT OPEN ZE STAMM!) from the manufacturer.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > Frank Grimes 08/22/2013 at 19:24

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Well, the only one that is so far 100% certain is the super sexy Alfa 4C. We have one lined up for a super VIP, so as soon as I know it's on the ground, I'll be ready to post some teaser photos.

That said, the next most likely model will be the Spyder, which is already under way, being co-developed with Mazda. Miata chassis with Italian engine, trans, and clothes.

Other than that, Marchionne (and my reps) have been pretty tight-lipped. We know that there is a commitment to make Alfa entirely RWD by 2016, so each of the replacements for the current line up will likely be built with the US in mind. And I wouldn't hold your breath for a yankee MiTo. Expect a CUV to make it in somewhere, because Alfa wants to go after Bimmer's lunch, so they should want to challenge the X3. Again, this entire paragraph is speculative, because if there is one thing the Italians are good at, it's keeping their mouths shut.

Brian Tschiegg > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 08/22/2013 at 19:59

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I just got a touch of that fizzy feeling thinking about a full line up of Italian rear wheel drive cars.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > Brian Tschiegg 08/22/2013 at 20:10

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Right? Like champagne for the soul.

Makoyouidiot > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 08/22/2013 at 20:35

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If only I could get a factory fresh 164...well...probably could, I've seen a couple on ebay and alfabb...bah.

Frank Grimes > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 08/22/2013 at 21:19

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So is it a safe assumption they will be going for the luxury market and not bring over the cheap cars?

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > Frank Grimes 08/23/2013 at 07:38

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That is my guess. When you consider the entirety of the Fiat/Chrysler family, it makes sense. Rather than cannibalize one another's sales, they would seek to carve out market segments. Dodge does entry to mid level American sedans, Chrysler goes upmarket American sedans, RAM is trucks, Jeep does Jeeps, FIAT does entry to mid-level Euro cars/hatches, and Alfa does Euro Luxury/Performance. They can capitalize on engineering efficiencies and component sharing (but NOT badge-engineering!) to reduce development costs, and go after each market niche with gusto. And unlike GM, there will be few, if any, redundancies (lest we forget the Trailblazer/Envoy/Rainier/Bravada/Ascender/97-X) because each brand should be clearly defined.

Ferrari and Maserati continue completely independent of the others because that's how Maranello rolls.