[Sniady]

So I've heard. GM owns 25% of Alfa Romeo. Why didn't Audi buy some of Alfa???

Any dates on arrivals? Models?

Is GM going to cut off horsepower & torque for lovly power windows & seats? Will they but engine blocks when a Alfa hits 105mph? I don't have a good feeling about this.

But... If they do come out to be watered down and sluggy! We can always import, right???


Fill me in with some Info!!!

 

[alfa_chan]

Yes, GM owns 20% of Fiat which owns Alfa.

And from what I've heard, they're are going to bring the next generation models to the States in 2007 and selling them in their PREMIUM BRAND dealers (Cadillac, Saab...)

By saying "next gen" models, that means the current GTV, GTAs and 156 won't make it the States

I've seen a Red 147 with a MFG plate driving around in Los Angeles...

 

[NikosF]

Fiat Group has a put option to sell its remaining stake of Fiat Auto to GM by 2004 (which was part of the original deal when GM bought 20% of Fiat Auto).

They paid something like $2 billion for the state - which they have subsequently written down to $200 million because of the incredibly poor performance of Fiat Auto. So right now GM probably regrets any involvement with a high-priced auto manufacturer selling small 'cheap' cars that are facing competition from cars build in Asia and Eastern Europe.

The only profitable part of Fiat Auto is Alfa Romeo interestingly enough.

Fiat Group also owns Ferrari (which includes Maserati). There have been ongoing discussions about moving Alfa into the Ferrari group. GM has no financial stake in Ferrari at the moment - so a deal of the sort would have to be approved by them.

The discussion in the European press late last week was that VOLKSWAGEN may have an interest in buying part of the restructured Ferrari group from Fiat.

Now since VW owns the Audi brand - your original idea of Audi (which is a brand not a manufacturer) buying Alfa is not so far off.

So - my guess is you won't see GM selling Alfa products in the US in the near future, and we should all pray for Alfa being moved in with Ferrari, being sold to VW and keeping it in European hands.

 

[icars]

GM Ferrari etc.

The Italian government has made it quite clear that if FIAT SPA decided to sell Ferrari to "outsiders" the Agnelli family might want to move. It is very unlikely to happen.

On the other hand the Italian government has been making bail out noises lately. The odds are about even now that FIAT motorcars (NOT FERRARI) will end up owned by an Italian group, and divested by GM.