Fiat SpA plans to merge Alfa Romeo, Abarth and Maserati under one sporty sub brand, according to reports.
Abarth and Maserati CEO Harald Wester has today been appointed by Fiat as CEO of Alfa Romeo and Auto News claims company sources have said Wester’s new role will be to identify synergies between the three brands.
Wester, who is also chief technology officer for the Fiat group, will play a key role in shaping Alfa Romeo’s future.
Fiat is currently undergoing a strategic review of Alfa and will publish the results in April when Fiat announces its group plans from the next five years.
One option for Alfa could be to share platforms with Chrysler and have its 166 replacement built in the US.
The other option is for investment to freeze on developing new models once the Giulietta is launched, leaving Alfa with only the Giulietta and Mito to keep the brand alive into the latter part of the decade. Its older exiting models, including the Brera, GT and Spider, would continue to be sold but won’t be replaced.
At the Detroit motor show, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne told Autocar that several options were still available for Alfa.
“Alfa has been underperforming for a long time,” he said. “It has been the most difficult part of Fiat’s recovery, even though on paper it looks so attractive. The marque isn’t for sale, or anything like that.
“It’s our problem. But we do have to rethink our objectives and be realistic with ourselves before we do anything else.
“First, I want to see how well we do launching the Giulietta. From the technical point of view it’s a huge step forward, but I want to see how it fares. And I want to see how we can take advantage of that through the company.”
