FIAT, the parent company of Alfa Romeo, is considering launching its return to North American soil using Ontario as its home base. So says CTV News, though FIAT chairman Sergio Marchonne has not acknowledged any talks with Ontario's government– but has set a goal of building a New World Alfa Romeo by 2012. Ontario can bank on a small home-field advantage; Marchionne was raised and educated in the Toronto area. A joint venture is possible, given that any Alfa will initially be a low-volume niche vehicle. Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, General Motors and Honda are all well-established manufacturers in Ontario. The downside: most of these Alfas are destined to be sold in the U.S. Building cars in Canada is a mighty pricey proposition. Besides, could a car built by a bunch of overall-wearin', double-double-drinkin' Toronto Maple Leafs fans named "Duggie" and "Murray" still have what pistonheads refer to as "Alfa-ness?" Che macello!
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Canadian car assembly ranks very high in quality even if the workers are stuffed with Timbits and double-doubles. As far as the overalls, they wear those on the truck assembly lines.
At least Duggie and Murray will get the best coffe in all of Canada. Years ago when Marchionne started as CEO of Swiss chemicals co. Lonza his secretary offered him a coffe from the cafeteria in Lonza’s HQ in Visp. Marchionne drank it, immediately spat it out again and ordered top of the line Italian coffee machines to be installed in all of Lonza’s sites around the globe…
So should they be eating Italian pasta with lambrusco, chianti, and gelato?
@ Vega: love that story! It must motivate workers like crazy, too.
Crap, now I gotta go get a box of timbits. Thanks.
Timmies > everything sold in the States.
Being that I work in the automotive sector here, I will gleefully welcome an Alfa plant. :p
Vega,
If only Marchonne were as focused on the quality of his vehicles as he is on the quality of his coffee.
Not everyone in Ontario (or Toronto for that matter) is a Maple Leafs fan & it’s a Timmies double double thank you very much.
Actually, the Toronto area has over a quarter of a million Italian ethnics–and lots would be lining up to buy an Alfa.
Probably, lots would be lining up to build ’em, too.
Heck, even my Toronto-born wife is Italian. I might have to trade in my Crown Vic on an Alfa–provided that they don’t rust out in a couple of years as the last crop did.
@Subifreak
you are right, there are some misguided Sens fans out there.
@SherbornSean:
It makes me sad that reliability has become the singular most important factor for most car buyers. While it is never fun to have something go wrong with an expensive purchase like a car, over the last decades vehicle quality in general -across all brands- has improved markedly enough to allow people with even slightest passion for cars to focus on other factors.
I’d gladly spend three additional days a year in the shop if this is what it takes to get me a car that makes me smile everytime i start it instead of a soul-destroying beige appliance.
Vega,
How right you are if the difference was only a few days at the dealer. I have a friend who bought a new Alfa in Europe 7-8 years; the car has less than 100K kilometers (60K miles) and it has been constantly in a shop, having many major parts replaced. The only reason he can afford to have the car semi-permanently at a the garage is because he is an architect and has the means and lives in a small town where he can easily walk almost anywhere or get a ride and so has no acute need for a car.
@Vega:
I think reliability HAS to be #1 these days, only because of how complicated and expensive cars are to repair now. Having an unreliable ’69 Chevy is one thing… bad idle? Mess with the carb until it works. Head gasket? $30 and change it in your driveway in an hour.
a FWD, V6 Alfa Romeo has a bad idle? That’ll be a $400 sensor that’s difficult to get at… head gasket? That’s a week in the driveway, if you can even do it yourself, and god knows how much in gaskets…
S’why I don’t buy new cars. :p
If reliability was the only factor that motivated most car buyers, Honda and Toyota would have close to 100% market share combined in the US. That hasn’t happened-yet.
It, however, will always be a big deal, for the simple fact that a car that you can’t drive (because it’s in the shop) is worthless. People buy cars to get from point A to point B, not because they are fun to drive or have nice dashboards. That is a car’s primary purpose. If the car is in the shop, they can’t use it to get from point A to point B.
I thought Alfa’s reliability had greatly improved over the last decade? My Alfa was as reliable as any other car I have owned, way more reliable than my first car(1981 Honda Prelude) and has put this Cadillac DeVille I have now to shame. Plus it was easy to work on, parts were the only headache since I had to have them shipped to me. Not sure if these FWD Alfa’s are a nightmare to work on, but I would wait for the RWDs to come anyway. It’s not a real Alfa if it’s FWD IMO.
Besides are you people buying BMW’s don’t exactly have the most reliable cars on the planet. Quit complaining and drive one maybe you will see why so many of us are waiting for their return. It’s not an appliance it’s an experience.
I might be alone in that I expect any car to have to spend some time in the shop. Cars are complex devices –made more complex thanks to sometimes conflicting requirements– designed, engineered and built by imperfect humans.
After all, the vaunted Toyota Production System couldn’t prevent sludge from occurring in their V6s nor does it, apparently, prevent a recent rash of recalls (say that three times fast). And it doesn’t prevent a large number of new Toyotas from having one taillamp prematurely die/burn out/fail(anyone else notice this?).
In general, as someone above mentioned, all cars are getting better in quality and reliability, so the discerning person might as well get the more entertaining product.
Leaf fans aren’t real hockey fans. Real hockey fans cheer for a team that’s actually won a Stanley Cup sometime in the last, oh, 40 years. Like Montreal. They’ve won around as many Cups in the last 40 years as Toronto has won EVER. So, yeah, GO HABS GO!
By the way, there’ll be plenty for factory space for Alfa once Chrysler closes it’s doors.
Oh, and Tim Horton’s coffee… best coffee in the world. The Canadian economy runs on double doubles and Timbits.