Dodge cars to be Alfas in Europe

[nadepalma]

Dodge cars to be Alfas in Europe
01 July 2009

Dodge models could be rebadged in Europe as Alfa Romeos as part of Fiat’s restructuring plans for Chrysler.

Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has revealed he sees the two brands as sharing the same core identity and he aims to have a strategy in place for what to do with the brands by the end of the month.

One proposal Marchionne is considering is to sell all Dodge models as Alfa Romeos in Europe, and all Alfa Romeo models as Dodges in the US.

He said: “Dodge is the American muscle car, while Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car. How we dovetail these two brands is very important.”

“The level of competition between these two brands is tremendous because they are both going after the same customer.”

Marchionne also said he had managed to stem the cash loss from Chrysler since it exited bankruptcy proceedings last month.

Chrysler reorganised its company last month around its best assets and funding from Fiat and the US and Canadian governments. Last year, it spent $9.6 billion (£5.8 billion).

Marchionne said: “We are still burning cash, but it’s slowed down by far. The question is how quickly we can stop the bleeding. That is priority number one.”

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Also be sure to check out thoughts from AutoCar commentators on this idea:

A Dodge Mito or an Alfa Romeo Nitro, sir?
Mark Tisshaw

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne may be a very powerful, very intelligent and forward thinking man but his comments about Alfa Romeo and Dodge have left me well and truly baffled.

“The level of competition between these two brands is tremendous because they are both going after the same customer,” is how Marchionne described the relationship between two of the brands he oversees.

Is he serious? The last time I looked at the European Dodge line-up, it featured some rather agricultural brutes such as the Caliber and Journey. Perhaps the one defining characteristic you think of when it comes to Alfa Romeo is the universal good looks across the range. This, respectfully, is not a statement you would attribute to Dodge.

Marchionne goes on to say that Dodge is the American muscle car and Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car. With cars like the SRT-10 and Ram, I would not disagree with the Dodge comments here. But Alfa Romeo is not a muscle car maker. Yes, the 8C is big and powerful, but its styling is certainly not that of a true muscle car.

As one of our forum posters pointed out, when was the last time your car buying decision came down to a Dodge and an Alfa Romeo? I would bet you could probably count the amount of times this situation has occurred on one hand.

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[A.J.]

What the...

If anything, Alfas should be badged as Chryslers...

[nadepalma]

I respect Marchionne on a number of issues, but I think he's way off here.

Firstly, Dodge is a mainstream/sporty-esque brand -- NOT a luxury or upscale brand. Yes, models like the Ram, Viper, and Charger can get pricey, not no one would assume they are a luxury marque.

Alfa Romeo on the other hand IS a sport-luxury carmaker. Its focus - while overlapping only marginally with Dodge's sporty image - is very very different.

One is an everyday-brand that sells sporty-esque products to the masses, the other Euro-chic with tons of character and sex appeal.

To put the two on the same level is a bit misguided.

Can they share components, engines, and platforms? ABSOLUTELY! But should they share designs, sheetmetal and be be mentioned in the same breath? NO WAY!

Plus, why would they decide to go this route and endanger each brand's core values? Dodge was only recently launched in Europe, and depsite its very limited appeal, is trying to carve out its own place in the market (I applaud Daimler for trying to push the brand in other markets). Alfa, conversely, is looking to come back to the US market after a long absence. Why would they put this at risk? Would selling Alfa-based models here in the US mean that Alfa does NOT return to the US market? Does selling Dodge's in Europe as Alfas mean that the Dodge brand will disappear from the Continent only a short time after being introduced?

I don't like this idea on its face....

[emh]

If you only consider the cars (forget trucks, SUVs and Caliber for a minute), you could make an argument that both brands have sportier-than-average offerings. The similarities end there for now, but if you refine the Dodge offerings a bit, this could work...

[megeebee]

How do you say "tinny, load, and cheap" in Italian?

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by A.J.

What the...

If anything, Alfas should be badged as Chryslers...

Yeah, maybe this makes more sense, but still don't like it. I'd prefer to see Lancia and Chrysler cooperate before I see Alfa and Dodge or Chrysler cooperate.

Still, I'm hoping perhaps his remarks were taken out of context...

Originally Posted by emh

If you only consider the cars (forget trucks, SUVs and Caliber for a minute), you could make an argument that both brands have sportier-than-average offerings. The similarities end there for now, but if you refine the Dodge offerings a bit, this could work...

Perhaps, but doesn't that kill Dodge's character a bit? Dodge is unabashedly American, sporty, and for the masses. It has attitude and is something "different" from the typical mainstream offerings.

Alfa is upscale, refined, and boldy Italian. It has sex appeal while also being "different" from the typical Audi, Volvo, or BMW competitors.

If you take Dodges and make them more like Alfas, it will not only change what they are, but also make them more expensive and possibly lower sales. Not only that, but if you want and Alfa in the US, why not just BUY AN ALFA once the brand is reintroduced in a few years?

I don't know...this isn't really appealing to me at all.

[PocoToro]

I would like an Alfa Romeo Spider

I would maybe look at a Chrysler Spider

I will NOT NOT NOT buy a Dodge Spider

Dodge=Fiat

Chrysler might fit for Alfa

[AMcA]

Wow, I guess they've decided Alfa needs to commit brand suicide, huh?

[CUtiger08]

The only level on which this works at all is to have luxury version of the Viper and/or the EV sports car as an Alfa. And even that's an "in addition", not an "instead of" type deal.

I somehow doubt Alfa customers will be at all interested in a Caliber/Avenger, or even a class-leading replacement for these models... pickup trucks/Durango are obviously no-goes for the European market... and the Charger/Challenger are way too American in style, though having an LX/LY based Alfa is a great idea, but that would be closer to the 300 (and shouldn't be a rebadge of either).

Overall, just a bad idea.

[BBDOS CV8]

Holy identity crisis, Batman!

To quote a famous US Tennis player: 'You can not be serious!' Who came up with this business case? Madhoff? (Checks calendar - no, it's not April 1).

Marchionne is off his tree. I don't want any of the crack he's on, if this is an example of his thinking, no wonder Fiat is such a dog's breakfast. He just had to be taking the piss out of the reporter.

Alfa as Dodge? Dodge as Alfa?

It's even more foolish than equating Pontiac with BMW. Alfas are very European, and very Italian. If people buy them in America it's because they want an Italian car (or are certifiable). It's like rebranding Prada as Wallmart Home Brand!

Way to kill any market appeal! Dodges are very US. If people want one in Europe, it's because they want a big, bold American car (or are certifiable). Sticking the Alfa logo on in Europe will turn the whole brand into a punchline and merely indicate it's the worst of both worlds - a US boat with Italian build quality!

Some Americans might buy Alfas as themselves (which is a Dodge-y enough badge even in the US). Putting a US domestic badge on a premium import brand is just going to kill any street-cred associated with it amongst target trendoids who are not going to pay a premium import price to be wearing a Dodge handbag, and the die-hard All-American Dodge musclecar cowboys will simply boycott them and pretend they don't exist.

Putting Alfa badges on Dodge products in Europe will simply kill the US cult-car fetishists who would otherwise buy them. No-one's going to buy an Alfa Charger and an Alfa Viper is a joke - 'here, meet my psychotic American cousin' - ferchrisssakes! Whatever virtues and appeal each has to their core demographic are diametrically opposed.

It's like imagining Sophia Loren and Ernest Borgnine mating - I don't wanna even think about the offspring!

[emh]

Originally Posted by nadepalma

Perhaps, but doesn't that kill Dodge's character a bit? Dodge is unabashedly American, sporty, and for the masses. It has attitude and is something "different" from the typical mainstream offerings.

Alfa is upscale, refined, and boldy Italian. It has sex appeal while also being "different" from the typical Audi, Volvo, or BMW competitors.

If you take Dodges and make them more like Alfas, it will not only change what they are, but also make them more expensive and possibly lower sales. Not only that, but if you want and Alfa in the US, why not just BUY AN ALFA once the brand is reintroduced in a few years?

I don't know...this isn't really appealing to me at all.

I didn't take the suggestion of rebadging Alfas as Dodges and vice versa seriously. I took this to mean reskinned versions of the same product going to the two brands (preferably in segments where they don't overlap). That's what I thought could make sense.

[MonaroSS]

Badge them Alfa in Western Europe and Dodge in Eastern Europe.

Badge them Alfa in US blue coastal states, Dodge in the red states heartland.

Or just make the badge's 'clip-on' and ask the buyer if they are a Democrat or Republican.

[Drive_Fast]

i think they should close dodge and bring fiat here... but they wont as they wrongly fear that fiat has a worse rep then dodge... but to me i like fiat more then dodge.... perhaps then close chrysler and bring alfa to replace it...

[Stéphane Dumas]

Originally Posted by MonaroSS

Badge them Alfa in Western Europe and Dodge in Eastern Europe.

Badge them Alfa in US blue coastal states, Dodge in the red states heartland.

Or just make the badge's 'clip-on' and ask the buyer if they are a Democrat or Republican.

How about a amalgation of Dodge and Alfa-Romeo? Like "Alfa-Dodge" or "Dodge-Romeo"

[XCR440SP]

Everyone seems to be taking this at face value. I see it differently. I think this is just the start of a plan to slowly kill off US Chrylser products and slowly face in European models. You start offering US products in Europe and European products in your US distribution and no one will argue about this. When the US products don't sell you slowly elimnate them and keep the better selling European models. Over time the US models that are acutally US models will wither to just the North American only type of vehicles (Large cars and full sized trucks).