Is it just me, or are automakers on a no-common sense streak lately? Fiat has succeeded in it’s goal of a partnership (really, takeover) of the Chrysler Group, LLC. The deal has given them access to the United States market in a way that would have taken Fiat years and billions of dollars to achieve. They didn’t get Opel, Saab or GM Latin America but they did get Chrysler.
Now, what are they going to do with it? They’ve instituted some reforms that coupled with the leaner post-bankruptcy Chrysler, should have helped the two to be successful.
Then I hear this idea and I think they don’t really have any idea what they are talking about. Take Dodge, a brand that has suffered from mismanagement and lack of a clear focus of what it wants to be. Now take Alfa Romeo. A company that succeeded for years in international markets and that is now debuting a beautiful Italian design language that started with the 8C Competizione . You and I see totally different brands with totally different histories. Fiat sees rebadging.
“Dodge is the American muscle car, while Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car. How we dovetail these two brands is very important,” Fiat’s CEO Sergio Marchionne told Autocar.
“The level of competition between these two brands is tremendous because they are both going after the same customer.”
Huh – American muscle is equivalent to European “muscle? The Grand Caravan, Nitro and Journey are going after the same customer as the MiTo? Apparently Fiat think so, and wants to bring Alfa Romeo models over to the United States as Dodge branded vehicles and vice versa. This isn’t pure speculation either because we have a quote direct from the CEO. To me this is showing no understanding of the image and history of the two brands. Use Dodge’s dealerships but please, don’t bring great product like the MiTo over as a Dodge. Imagine the crosshair grille on the MiTo? I shudder at the thought.
July 6th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
My first car was a Pontiac Grand Prix, which laid the foundation for my distaste for all things Detroit. Then I bought an Eagle Talon, which was basically a Dodge Neon with a DSM body kit. That solid little Chrysler 420A mill under the hood did right by me for over 200,000 miles.
Today, my distaste for GM has turned into pure, vile, hatred and, despite the relative brilliance of the Camaro and CTS-V, I’d be too embarrassed to be seen in a GM product. At the same time, Ford, a brand I’ve never thought about beyond maybe an odd Focus rally car or noisy power steering pump, has begun to grow on me. I almost feel compelled to support them by being sure to consider at least a couple of their models when the time comes for another vehicle.
Meanwhile, the DSMer in me who spent over a decade behind the wheel and crossed the country back and forth under Chrysler power, is sort of cheering for the home team. I hope that, with that parasite Nardelli out of the picture (they *did* show him the door, right?), they stand a chance of at least stumbling forward.
July 6th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
FIAT is actually sending 4 versions of the 500 to The States- great news, the US market sure could use the variety- I drove one of these things in Greece… nice car, and a lot of fun- and I’m 6’2″
Viva FIAT!