Fiat CEO says company "has everything we need" to relaunch Alfa Romeo

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(Reuters) - Italian carmaker Fiat "has everything we need" to relaunch its historic performance sports brand Alfa Romeo, Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said on Saturday.

The launch of new Alfa Romeo models starting later this year has been flagged by Marchionne as a key part of the automaker's strategy to boost sales of higher-margin premium models.

"It's all top secret," Marchionne said in reply to journalists' questions for an update. "We have everything we need" for the new Alfa Romeo.

The Alfa Romeo 4C sports car will go on sale in the U.S. and in Europe in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Italian carmaker hopes to leverage the 103-year-old brand's cachet with auto enthusiasts to draw new buyers to Alfa Romeo through a revamp of its two existing compact cars and the addition of seven new models by 2016.

(Reporting by Jennifer Clark, editing by Stephen Jewkes)

 

[chris28e]

Yes, that's right. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne recently announced that Alfas would start hitting dealerships again. In fact, an Alfa small crossover using the Alfa’s Giulietta platform will come out in early 2013, with other Alfa models to follow. Alfa Romeo is really severe about going back to the United States sometime soon, with the stunning 4C roadster leading the charge.