Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is in a big fight with the Italian government and Italian labor unions. He wants to build 11 new high-end Alfa Romeo and Maseratis, but strict Italian labor laws are making it very difficult to do it profitably in Italy. So Marchionne is threatening to move production elsewhere:
“The relaunch of Alfa Romeo will continue for sure,” Marchionne said. “Italy should decide if they want it to happen here or not as Fiat and Chrysler have several alternatives.”
Hey, why not build them in the US? Right now Fiat relies on Chrysler for profitability. Chrysler already builds the Alfa-based Dart in Belvidere, Illinois. And the US builds some of the highest quality vehicles in the world, which is something Fiat needs if they want to compete with the Germans:
“The only weapon we have is to get a slice of the high-end market, which we haven’t been able to tackle in the past because of laziness or inability — leaving our German friends alone,” Marchionne said. “We want to disturb the idyllic environment they’ve created for themselves.”
I don’t know about you but I’d love to drive a US-built Alfa Romeo. Maybe one with a Hemi? Via Bloomberg
