What Alfa needs to do & modern Italian engineering

["Zacharey Cox (Siemens Business Services Inc)" <v-ntxzco@domain.elided>]

Here's my take:



Alfa needs to setup a proper dealership network with 100% support.  This
would involve support for parts, properly trained technicians, & taking
care of any warranty issues immediately.  In addition, a huge amount of
money needs to be spent on advertising.  Alfa needs to sell passion
here.  Look at what Harley Davidson is doing, they're selling a
lifestyle!  They're making incredible amounts of money doing it.  I've
seen tons of 100th anniversary HD's in the parking garages here already.
Just sell an image, & support you customers all the.  Speaking of
supporting  your customers:  Saturn seems to be doing quite well.  I
drove one of those a week ago, what a POS!!  That was one of the worst
cars I've ever driven.  Get involved with the clubs (anybody heard of
World Ducati Weekend & Ducati Revs America?  Now that has got to be the
best damn way to say "Thanks" to your loyal customers), host driving
schools (Land Rover off road school comes to mind), & have wonderful
looking dealerships.  I've had an Alfa commercial in my head for years.
It's one I came up with.  Picture a wide open landscape, covered in
rolling hills & lush green grass.  An Alfa sedan is charging along
twisting ribbons of asphalt, only the wind is heard.  Then, the picture
closes in on the Alfa, & the luscious motor sounds are fed in gradually
(ala WRX commercial), the revs climb, driver goes through some gears, &
then it's gone.  Maybe some leaves & dust settling along the road, with
just the sound of the wind again.  Have the red Alfa Romeo script fade
in, a sexy female voice reminding you of CZJ announces some info about
AR, yadayadayada.  It would have to be a very polished commercial too,
not cheesy like Acura one where the yuppie couple is driving up that
unreal road to look at a house.  That's terrible.  Do it right, sell an
image, get people hooked on a car that feels, drives, & looks incredibly
better than anything on the road in the US.



As for modern Italian engineering, I had the chance to ride an Aprilia
Falco at our weekly lunch ride today.  Wow what a machine!!  It felt so
solid & well put together.  The materials & components are all top rate.
Sure the powerful & elastic motor is built by Rotax but I think that is
all they had to do with it.  The gauges are digital Veglia units ;-)))
The latest Ducatis & Guzzis are just fantastic as well, & keep getting
better every year.



Have a good weekend all, I'm going to spend the weekend pondering life's
big questions (when will Alfa be back??) aboard the SS.



Lates,

Zach

Redmond, WA

'91 164S

Alfetta GT x2 - 1 of them is free to anyone!

'99  Ducati 900SS

Possible '01 Aprilia Pegaso if I can sell the 164 ;-)))
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided