No Budget Alfas Says Brand Boss
Alfa Romeo will launch eight new models in North America by 2018 but don’t look for any bargains.
Currently luxury brands are in a race to the bottom, dramatically boosting sales with more affordable products, ranging from the Mercedes CLA to the Audi A3, both of which start at under $30,000.
“How much can a brand be stretched before the exclusivity and the image associated with that brand becomes compromised,” asked Alfa Romeo brand boss Reid Bigland rhetorically in a sit down interview with AutoGuide.com.
VIDEO: Alfa Romeo 4C First Drive
Describing the gap between a CLA and an S-Class as “awkward,” Bigland confirmed that Alfa’s future plans don’t include entering into this hot new segment.
When we asked Bigland if we’ll be able to buy a $29,000 Alfa he quickly responded, “Unfortunately not,” before pausing and adding, “I don’t want to say never.”
“You might be able to get a used 4C in about 14 years with 100,000 miles on it [for $29,000],” he joked.
SEE ALSO: Alfa Romeo 3 Series Rival on Sale This Year
Bigland commented that Alfa is in a unique position in the larger Fiat Chrysler Automobile company, flanked by exotic brands like Maserati and Ferrari on the high end and mainstream brands like Fiat and Dodge below. As a result he feels Alfa will be able to maintain an identity and be more “pure.”
“We can be very consistent,” he said, with a focus on “state-of-the-art technology, incredible performance and of course that gorgeous Italian design and style.”
Instead of budget Alfas the brand’s re-launch in North American will also mark a new lineup of global products. Later this year Alfa Romeo will launch a BMW 3 Series competitor, followed by a mid-size crossover in 2016. By 2018 Alfa Romeo aims to launch 8 all-new products.
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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It's like the Berlina, Giulietta, Alfasud, 33, and so on, never existed. I guess the weight and bulk of safety features required to get the requisite crash ratings mean that the Alfa experience is now only feasible with bigger engines or more expensive lightweight construction techniques.
$29k for a 4C in 14 years? Or you can get a used Lotus Elise right now for half that money, swap in a quick japanese motor with a bit of tuning and beat the crap out of any 4C. Alfas are one of the fastest depreciating brands here in the UK, and that makes sense when you look at how low a second hand M3 or Porsche Boxter sells for. It's only going to be worse for them in the US where Mustangs and Camaros are so cheap. Alfa finally made a couple of RWD cars after 20 years and they think they are the muts nuts, comparing themselves to Mercedes... that's the real joke here.