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Though I can’t wait for Alfa Romeo’s return to the U.S. (an emotion only amplified by watching The Graduate last evening), I – along with other American Alfisti – may have to wait longer than expected.
While company officials hoped to re-launch the Alfa marque in the U.S. by 2010, the American homecoming has been postponed by at least a year. It’s not the first delay this plan has witnessed – at one point, Alfa had hoped to introduce the 159, Brera, and Spider by 2009.
So, what caused the delay? The same underlying factor that’s creating unrest throughout the automotive industry: the global economic crisis. Even before Wall Street took a turn for the worst, Fiat had speculated it would need to build Alfa Romeos in America in order to turn a profit in North America – and even that would be a thin profit, at best.
The good news? This delay won’t affect the launch of the 8C Competizione, which is handled via select Maserati dealers across the U.S. The bad news? That car – at least in coupe form – is completely sold out.
Source: Autocar
I drove an Alfa for a while. If the manufacturer had any brains they’d keep them from ever returning to the US. As for Alfas made in the US? Right. I’ll believe that when I see it. This company lost its shirt when it tried to succeed in the US years ago. They should have learned their lesson.