Re: [alfa] stirring up trouble

["David Jarman" <jarmanhome@xxxxxxx>]

OK, I basically agree that Alfa has to be competitive in all aspects,
particularly in quality and perceived value.  I doubt if anyone seriously
debates that. The question is, can they do it under Fiat's wing?  From recent
automotive news and the occasional tidbits from our friends overseas, I don't
believe they can.  Now I do not understand nor know the Fiat organization
well, and maybe I'm too harsh on them at times, but I do not sense they are
survivors in the long term.  Am I wrong?

I think what Alfa Romeo needs is a true savior, such as what Ford did for
Jaguar.  No, Ford could have never built the E-type as it was, and I have the
utmost respect for Sir William Lyons and the brilliant Jaguar legacy, but
let's face it: they would have been culled out of the marketplace had it not
been for the turnaround provided by Ford capital and marketing resources.  The
end result of the Ford makeover of Jaguar was to provide the marque a quality
image and perceived value to volumes of prospective buyers.  You see tons of
them here where we live, people buy them new and used, and the dealership is
also a Mercedes agency.  Now that is a remarkable turnaround from where Jaguar
was in the North American market during the 1970s and 80s.

Unfortunately, from outside the board room it seems that GM does not yet view
Alfa Romeo as the same opportunity as Ford did Jaguar, yet in my opinion they
are just that.  To be fair, GM is not in the same position with Alfa as was
Ford when the buyout took place; Fiat as a reluctant partner still retains a
solid measure of control, and seems determined to keep Alfa a "pure" Italian
marque.  At what cost?  No company has a spotless track record, but GM does
have the resources to bring Alfa into the fold of modern niche manufacturers
with a quality image.  Saab here in the US is an excellent example, GM has
literally transformed Saab from a cult car in our country, to a highly
desirable, slick sports sedan with personality and technical
appeal.  Saabs are to be seen in quantity in any urban area of the US, and GM
actively supports the marque in their advertising.  Why couldn't the same take
place for Alfa, given the heritage and appeal all of us Alfista already know
well?  Alfa will never be a threat in the marketplace to Toyota, but that's
not a goal that's needed for their survival.  I don't think any of us would
want all of those attributes in a new Alfa anyway, I drove my relatives'
Avalon yesterday, and it's the only car I ever saw whose key chime drowns out
the starter!  You cannot tell the engine is running! Talk about boring...

Enough.  Bottom line: from our recent experience with the '94 164LS we owned
from new for
six years, Alfa does NOT have that far to go to be fully competitive, and they
do not have to match everyone else cupholder-for-cupholder to do that.  Our
old LS had some nice features that the Toyota Avalon I mentioned does not.
Except for the timing belt issue, it was very reliable and made a terrific
impression wherever we drove it.  There are only a few dubious suppliers (and
maybe insiders) to Alfa that need to be thrown out on their ear, like Ford did
with Jaguar, in order to bring quality into line with expectations.  Let's
hope that can somehow take place before Alfa is dragged down with Fiat into
the archives of automotive history.

Dave Jarman
Lexington, KY
USA
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