Report: Alfa Romeo to sell re-branded Dodge cars in Europe
December 31st, 1969
Last week we brought you news of Alfa Romeo's plans for the U.S. and the support and enthusiasm that's growing over Alfa's attractive designs. This week there's news of cars going the other way across the Atlantic, this time Dodges to be re-branded as Alfa Romeos for Europe.
It's not the only brand-switcharoo planned for Fiat and Chrysler, but it might be the most significant for Americans. Finding a way to meet Alfa Romeo's needs with re-purposed Dodge vehicles could help reinvigorate U.S. production and supply chains.
Marchionne sees a lot of overlap between the Dodge and Alfa Romeo brands. “Dodge is the American muscle car, while Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car. How we dovetail these two brands is very important,” said Marchionne according to an Autocar report.
The implication is that the Alfa Romeo brand would compete with Dodge if it were to be offered side by side, and so Marchionne is also believed to be considering selling all Alfas in the U.S. as Dodges.
There are also reports that Fiat vehicles, not well-loved for their last stint in the U.S., may be re-branded and sold as Alfa Romeos.
Such a plan would sidestep the sticky issue of the Fiat brand reputation in the U.S. while still allowing an outlet for all brands both here and abroad, yet avoiding undue competition between brands.
Returning to the issue of selling Dodges as musclecars in Europe for a moment, consider what an Alfa Romeo re-body of a Dodge Viper might end up like. Remember, too, that Fiat was recently handed the reins of the Viper business. Now that's a partnership to look forward to.Dodge Viper SRT 10 ACR2009 Alfa Romeo 159
Last week we brought you news of Alfa Romeo's plans for the U.S. and the support and enthusiasm that's growing over Alfa's attractive designs. This week there's news of cars going the other way across the Atlantic, this time Dodges to be re-branded as Alfa Romeos for Europe.
It's not the only brand-switcharoo planned for Fiat and Chrysler, but it might be the most significant for Americans. Finding a way to meet Alfa Romeo's needs with re-purposed Dodge vehicles could help reinvigorate U.S. production and supply chains.
Marchionne sees a lot of overlap between the Dodge and Alfa Romeo brands. “Dodge is the American muscle car, while Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car. How we dovetail these two brands is very important,” said Marchionne according to an Autocar report.
The implication is that the Alfa Romeo brand would compete with Dodge if it were to be offered side by side, and so Marchionne is also believed to be considering selling all Alfas in the U.S. as Dodges.
There are also reports that Fiat vehicles, not well-loved for their last stint in the U.S., may be re-branded and sold as Alfa Romeos.
Such a plan would sidestep the sticky issue of the Fiat brand reputation in the U.S. while still allowing an outlet for all brands both here and abroad, yet avoiding undue competition between brands.
Returning to the issue of selling Dodges as musclecars in Europe for a moment, consider what an Alfa Romeo re-body of a Dodge Viper might end up like. Remember, too, that Fiat was recently handed the reins of the Viper business. Now that's a partnership to look forward to.
Report: Alfa Romeo to sell re-branded Dodge cars in Europe
July 1st, 2009
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July 1st, 2009
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July 1st, 2009
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It's not the only brand-switcharoo planned for Fiat and Chrysler, but it might be the most significant for Americans. Finding a way to meet Alfa Romeo's needs with re-purposed Dodge vehicles could help reinvigorate U.S. production and supply chains.
Marchionne sees a lot of overlap between the Dodge and Alfa Romeo brands. “Dodge is the American muscle car, while Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car. How we dovetail these two brands is very important,” said Marchionne according to an Autocar report.
The implication is that the Alfa Romeo brand would compete with Dodge if it were to be offered side by side, and so Marchionne is also believed to be considering selling all Alfas in the U.S. as Dodges.
There are also reports that Fiat vehicles, not well-loved for their last stint in the U.S., may be re-branded and sold as Alfa Romeos.
Such a plan would sidestep the sticky issue of the Fiat brand reputation in the U.S. while still allowing an outlet for all brands both here and abroad, yet avoiding undue competition between brands.
Returning to the issue of selling Dodges as musclecars in Europe for a moment, consider what an Alfa Romeo re-body of a Dodge Viper might end up like. Remember, too, that Fiat was recently handed the reins of the Viper business. Now that's a partnership to look forward to.
Dodge Viper SRT 10 ACR
2009 Alfa Romeo 159
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Comments (4 total)
Meet the top commenters on the LeaderboardDidn't they want the Journey and Dakota for other markets?
yeah the midsized and small truck production from dodge would go to fiat, and anything lower than D segment would go from italy to america.
it would be interesting to see the stylings of the viper move more in the direction of the 8C.. easily the most sexy car ever ever.
and the viper isnt all that bad looking to begin with. and if i have interpretted clarksons reviews correctly.. alfa taking the mechanicals from the viper would actually grossly improve the vehicle dynamics of the 8C (yes i know it was a limited run but if they were to enter the segment again...)
what i find curious is that fiat thinks that the alfa name has a better sticking power in america than the fiat name. really.. they were both crap. alfas were just sexier.
and i think ford has proven that it doesnt take much effort to change the markets perception of a certain brand. you start making good cars.. you'll get good reviews, then come the customers. simple as that. the majority of new car buyers just go and buy what car and driver and the likes tell them to. just keep the fiat name... really. then you dont get into rebranding, rebadging, and all that other crap.
dont get me wrong.. id rather see the stylings of alfas over fiats.. but even the alfa stylings are hard to swallow at times (from a north american standpoint)
I sure hope that the gorgeous Alfas sent here don't get the Dodge corporate design language. That would ruin the whole point of Alfa returning. American enthusiasts love Alfas as they are, some of the most sensuous and beautiful machines, we don't want more ugly Dodges. (And that's coming from a lifetime Mopar fan, Dodge made beautiful cars in the past, witness the '68 Charger, but recently their design language is crap.)
Set sail for fail.
Selling Dodges in Europe as Alfas? I'm sorry but I think Europeans will hate Dodge products and it will ruin Alfa's reputation.
And selling Alfas here is a great idea but why rebrand as Dodge, especially when you're still selling Alfa Romeo branded cars that happen to be Fiats. WTF are they thinking?
Hey here's an idea Fiat. Don't sell dodges at all in Europe because they suck and you'll get eaten alive. At least not yet. Wait till platform sharing becomes more common and Dodge products actually get better and fit the Euro market. Also, sell Alfa Romeos in the US as, get this, Alfa Romeos! Wow, what a concept! As for Fiat cars, if you want to bring them here, just sell them as Fiat for ****'s sake. people will get over the brand identity Asap if they're good cars. Just bring the 500 over first and people will fall in love with Fiat in no time.
Christ, it's no wonder the auto industry is screwed uo with managemant like this riding the short bus into work every day.
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