USA overtakes Italy, as Alfa's main market

"El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!" (lightningzone) 10/07/2020 at 10:42 • Filed to: None

2

26

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 10:50

1

I think I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen a modern Alfa. They’re super uncommon around me. Pity, they’re awesome.

E90M3 > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/07/2020 at 10:52

3

I see them from time to time, and every time I do I think “I should lease one of those.” 

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > E90M3 10/07/2020 at 10:54

3

There are very few cars that I would rather lease than own. Here’s a list of every car that fits that description!

1. Stelvio

2. 4C

3. Giulia

Ssfancyfresh > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 10:56

1

How is that possible? Chrysler employee lease specials?

I think I just answered my own question.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 10:59

1

That is sad news considering how seldom I see Alfas. Can we have a peer capita Alfa sales figure?

Milky > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/07/2020 at 11:04

1

I could a lot to that list!

All jags/land rovers/bmws/mercs/audis, volvos that are turbocharged, supercharged and hybrid. And dodge cars too, probably reliable enough, but they have good lease deals and i’ d only want to play for a year.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 11:05

0

Weird. They are projected to actually LEAVE North American markets... again.

Wonder what they’d do in Italy?

Tripper > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/07/2020 at 11:23

0

There is an Alfa Dealer really close to my house..they always have plenty!

punkgoose17 > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 11:51

0

The new general manager at work drives a Giu lia Q.

duurtlang > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 12:14

0

FCA effectively killed Alfa by focusing on the US market. Market share in Europe plummeted as a result, due to the product not fitting the demand. The 4C is too niche, the Stelvio and Giulia too big and expensive.

Their volume models have been discontinued or are ancient. The 159 (discontinued) was introduced in 2005, the Mito (discontinued) in 2008 and the Giulietta in 2010. Those were the last three. There are no crossovers in volume market segments either. No wonder they are not selling any cars any more.

This was their line up 10 years ago . All but the 8c cheaper than a Giulia.

ranwhenparked > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 12:16

0

Does that mean their sales volume has  broken into the three figure range here?

CompactLuxuryFan > duurtlang 10/07/2020 at 12:36

1

The 159, though. They need to go back to that

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > duurtlang 10/07/2020 at 12:50

0

They’re not big.

The Giulia is smaller than a friken’ 3 series. And they can’t just run around selling Fiats with leather seats, if they want to be a real player in the premium market.

The brand is on the right track. They just need more time and money. I’m hopeful that from the merger with Peugeot, Alfa will come out as the alliance’s BMW fighter. With DS focused on taking on Mercedes, and Maserati taking on Porsche, with even more sporty and clean designs. Heck, I’m even hopeful of Lancia becoming some sort of Italian Peugeot, with the group’s platforms and an Italian touch in styling.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 10/07/2020 at 12:57

1

They’re not going anywhere. With Peugeot looking to launch here, it will look better for them to sold next to Alfa and Maserati , than next to Ram, Dodge or Chrysler.

rctothefuture > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 13:37

0

Been seeing more and more Giulia Q4's here in Wisco lately. Really perks up my commute every now and then.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 14:28

0

These stats need to be accompanied by historical sales numbers to determine whether the American market share grew or the Italian market share shrank, or both.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > duurtlang 10/07/2020 at 14:29

0

The Giulietta is still available but overdue for replacement . Also, no QV performance version anymore.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 14:33

0

I’d say AR has been repositioned as a premium brand (like it was in the 80s and 90s) after a decade of selling affordable hatchbacks and receiving lukewarm press reviews despite growing sales numbers.

Not saying that this is necessarily a solid business plan, but it’s what they appear to be doing. Going upmarket and increasing profit margin per car.

Perhaps the Fiat brand itself is being positioned on more affordable products such as an updated 500/500x/500L range, but news on that is slow as well. The new 500 is electric-only and expensive AF—no word on a dino version.

Textured Soy Protein > duurtlang 10/07/2020 at 15:22

0

Seems like with Mercedes, BMW and Audi all offering several small transverse- engine models, now would be a good time for Alfa to follow suit.

Mercedes has the A, B, CLA, GLA & GLB. BMW has the 1, 2 GC, X1 & X2, and throw the Mini lineup in there too. Audi has the A1, A3, Q1, and both regular and sportback Q3. 

I gotta believe in Europe especially, there’s a lot of volume to be had in competing against some or all of these. 

duurtlang > Textured Soy Protein 10/07/2020 at 16:16

0

And that’s exactly what Alfa did... Until Fiat merged with Chrysler, and they started going after some kind of mirage. They ignored the market where they had an image, infrastructure and market share. All so they could enter the US market, where they had nothing.  How many cars did AR sell in the US in 2019? I don’t think it was worth it.

duurtlang > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 10/07/2020 at 16:19

0

AR was never a ‘premium’ brand. They have always been a mainstream brand with a very sporty focus. That’s how it was 10 years ago, that’s how it was 30 years ago and also how it was 50 years ago. The premium part is new and it has essentially destroyed the brand in their home market(s).

FCA has left Fiat to rot as well. It's nothing but a shadow of what it was only 10-15 years ago. The FCA merger has put all the eggs in the C part of FCA.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > duurtlang 10/07/2020 at 17:03

0

I mean sure old AR s were mainstream in the way that a BMW 3 series is mainstream. I suppose your definition of mainstream doesn’t necessarily mean “affordable” and I can get with that.

The old RWD Alfas were not cheap for their era—a 75/ Milano cost $17-20k in 1986 dollars, in line with the 3 series at the time , and a 164 cost $35k in 1994 dollars, in line with the E34 5 series .

Textured Soy Protein > duurtlang 10/07/2020 at 17:20

0

How’s Jeep selling in Europe now? Seems like it and RAM are the big money-makers for FCA, plus of course ever-increasing new versions of the same old Charger & Challenger where the R&D costs have long since been amortized.

duurtlang > Textured Soy Protein 10/07/2020 at 17:26

0

The Renegade is doing fine. Especially in Italy where it’s built. The rest, not so much. Too American I guess. I never see one.

Here’s a row of police cars I spotted in Italy in August. It shows the the problem with the new Alfas. You can clearly see that the Renegade and the Alfa 159 are easily the biggest cars there.

carcrasher88 > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/07/2020 at 18:54

0

That’s quite something, especially after the only Alfa Romeo (and Maserati) dealer in the Albany, NY (state capital) area closed abruptly early this year (before March, IIRC), leaving this area not only with no place to buy an Alfa, but also no official center to service them (the Chevrolet dealer that is part of the same group that owned the Alfa/Maserati dealer is doing service, I think).

duurtlang > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 10/08/2020 at 06:59

0

I can show you the historical market share in percentage in the Netherlands. Which shows the dramatic decline of Alfa Romeo. I expect Italy to show a similar trend, but with higher numbers . The Giulia and Stelvio are simply the wrong kind of cars to offer.