I think that Alfa's problems with the US market, when they left, was
one of simply having no products. The American car line had shrunk to
essentially, two models: the Spider and the 164. The Spider was, by
that time, so old and getting so expensive, that it was difficult for
even the most dyed-in-the-wool Alfisti to justify buying another.
Essentially, it was the same car that Alfa had been selling for close-
on to 30 years. Then there was the Miata. Here was a car very much
like the classic sports roadster that the Giulietta spider had been.
It was thoroughly modern, reliable and low-maintenance, with decent
performance, for thousands less. Then there was the 164. A car with a
limited market appeal to begin with, by 1994 everyone who wanted one
had already bought one.
They decided not to market the 145 here, or the 155, both of which
would have sold ENOUGH units to keep the brand afloat here until the
new Spider, the New GTV6, and the gorgeous 156 arrived. I suspect that
the 156 would have sold like hotcakes - on looks alone (especially the
station wagon)! The new Spider and GTV coupe would have rejuvenated
Alfa's sporting image, especially with the re-designed 24-valve
version of the the V-6. Pulling out of the US market on the very eve
of introducing an entirely new lineup of some pretty exciting models
was, in my opinion, one of the stupidest moves in car marketing
history. Couldn't ANYBODY at Fiat see that in 1965, Alfa had nothing
to sell here? Or that in just a year, that problem would have been
completely resolved? It's a wonder, sometimes, that any large
corporation survives. They do such stupid things. And they do them
over and over again. Fiat is about to screw-up the Alfa brand again,
maybe forever, by perhaps trying to turn Chrysler platforms into Alfa
Romeos. It won't work. But they are so out of touch, apparently, that
they can't see that.
George Graves
'86 GTV-6 3.0 'S'
On Dec 5, 2009, at 8:27 AM, Bradley Artigue wrote:
Also, Alfa was going front wheel drive before FIAT's purchase. The
164 was
designed prior to the acquisition of FIAT. Lets not forget the Sud
was front
wheel drive also.
The 164 platform was jointly designed and used by Alfa (164), FIAT
(Thema/Chroma I think), and Saab (9000). Pre-acquisition.
Alfa Romeo is a case study in bad decision making and government
intrusion (like many car companies, but particularly those Italian
ones). We can lament the death of what was Alfa Romeo as an
indepenent marque, or celebrate that it was purchased and kept
alive. One thing is certain; FIAT purchasing Alfa Romeo saved the
brand. It kept the brand Italian. How many of you would drive an
Alfa Romeo made by TATA Manufacturing of India? I almost vomited
writing that sentence.
Alfa and FIAT did horrible jobs of meeting the demands of the USA
market. From my perspective I was always amazed at how they thought
it was reasonable to ask people to buy expensive cars from
dealerships that were a step above a trailer park. --
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