Fiat will merge three of its sportiest brands: Abarth, Alfa Romeo and Maserati
By Andrew C., 27 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
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Fiat S.p.A. will soon have a new brand group created for its sporty Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Abarth marques. Harald J. Wester, who is currently CEO of Maserati and Abarth, will be heading this group, according to people familiar with the matter. In this role, Wester is tasked to identify potential synergies between Maserati and money-losing Alfa Romeo, which is undergoing a strategic review of its future. Fiat has owned Maserati since 1993. It sells exclusive luxury sports cars priced from 114,000 euros to 135,000 euros. The Abarth sub-brand, which comprises sporty versions of the Fiat Punto and 500 cars, was relaunched at the 2007 Geneva auto show.
Sources say that Fiat is reviewing options for Alfa, which has lost between 200 million and 400 million euros a year in the past 10 years. There are two options under consideration for the brand. One option is to freeze investment in the brand after its latest model, the Giulietta, debuts at the Geneva auto show in March.
The Giulietta is expected to replace the 147. What this means is that the Alfa 166 would not be replaced. The brand would be left with the Giulietta and the MiTo, launched in 2008, as its only fresh models. The rest of Alfa's range (the 159, Brera coupe, Spider and GT coupe) will continue to be available for quite sometime.
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