Alfa and North America

[C M Smith <cmsmith@domain.elided>]

Dumb dumb dumb.

Send over only your highest end car. A "sports sedan" by North American 
standards but surely a plush luxo mobile by Euro standards. Crank the 
margin as high as possible and wait for the sales to mount up. Doh!!! Only 
niche manufacturers like Ferrari or Lotus could survive such a dumb strategy.

While I tend to agree that FWD is not popular among traditional sports 
car/sedan aficionados, this alone would not be enough to spell failure. A 
one car line at the top end only just was so stupid it's beyond 
comprehension. With products like the 75 or 155, or even the Sud, available 
to supplement the line, ALFA's decision to import only a big fat sedan (I 
have one and love it but facts is facts, it's a fine handling great big 
sedan, in no way comparable to the lean and lively cars in the rest of 
ALFA's range) was just completely brain dead. The SUPREME irony is the 
previous big ALFA was also a dud of huge proportions in the US  AND Europe. 
The ALFA 6 was a beautiful car but it was a great big luxo mobile, great 
handling and performance for a luxo mobile, but no contest with the more 
sportif smaller ALFAs the world, including NA, have always loved.

Sigh, I was one of the few in NA that needed a car as big and good as the 
164. Many of my friends would have been  155 customers (2 kids, not three). 
The new GT and Spider would have sold, but the line needed a smaller sedan 
also. BMW may not be very soulful but they know how to market a LINE of 
cars. Even SAAB knew that a one model line would be the kiss of death. 
Count the one model manufacturers in the US market today.


Michael Smith
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
91 Alfa 164L, White, original owner

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