USA TODAY - One of the most anticipated aspects of Fiat's control of Chrysler has been the anticipated return of Alfa Romeo to America. Now Automotive News Europe says that expected return is being pushed back.
Alfa Romeo's return is being pushed back by at least six months partly because Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne doesn't like how the next batch of Alfas, designed for both Europe and U.S., are turning out, according to Automotive News Europe.
Alfa would probably be a forgotten brand in the U.S. -- no one would particularly care if it ever came back -- if it hadn't become a touchstone of American culture. A little Alfa roadster was the car that Dustin Hoffman drove in The Graduate.
They could play an important role for Chrysler and its fledging Fiat nameplate in the U.S. They would serve as the emotional element of the brand.
The delay will hit hardest against a model known in Europe as the Giulia, a midsize sedan; it won't arrive now until mid-2013.
