Inspired by the Volvo-Geely deal, Automotive News Europe [sub]’s Luca Ciferri contemplates the unthinkable:
Back in 1986 Ford offered to buy nearly 20 percent of Alfa with its stake rising to 100 percent if a turnaround plan for the struggling government-owned brand succeeded…. But the venerable sports car maker is still European. Its destiny is decided in Turin. If Ford had bought Alfa, the brand probably would be now owned by a Chinese automaker…. I wonder how the Alfisti would react to the prospect of decisions on future Alfa cars being taken near Beijing. I wonder what the unions would say if they had to learn Chinese?
Well Luca, infamous Italian xenophobia aside, perhaps the better question would be could Alfa really be any worse off than it currently is? If the brand manages to survive the year under its blessedly Italian leadership, it will be lumped into a GM-style “brand channel” and its new products will be based on Chrysler’s leftovers. Oh, and there’s no guarantee that it will survive its “strategic review” at all, as Fiat has said there’s a chance that Alfa won’t survive past another year. So who knows, maybe the Chinese will end up with Alfa sooner than Ciferri might imagine.
Well, ain’t that the same Luca Ciferri who said the Volvo-Geely deal would not and should not happen?
And you are right, many state-owned Chinese companies are developing Geely-envy and will snap up the next available European car maker. Why not Alfa. There are rabid Alfisti in Japan, and shipping will cost much less from China to Japan.
Cuore Sportivo served in black bean sauce???!!!
Fiat’s ownership of Alfa has been a fantastic cover for the gutting of the brand. Now that it’s come to the point where there isn’t even an exclusive Alfa engine, much less chassis (will we ever see a rear transazle, Dedion equipped family sedan in our lifetimes?) it’s best to put Alfa to sleep at 100 years old rather than continue to suffer the indignity of poor brand engineering.