Fiat's Sergio Marchionne
A Dodge rebadged as an Alfa? Alfisti are no doubt astir over this one.
TheCarConnection.com has already told you about the near-certain plans for some Fiat models—like the stylish 500 minicar—to be sold in the U.S. via Chrysler's dealer network, and we've also heard talk about how Alfa might be using Chrysler's LX platform (underpinning the 2009 Dodge Charger and 2009 Dodge Challenger, along with the Chrysler 300) for an upcoming large sedan.
But it's new to us—and surprising—to hear that the Italian company's CEO is considering selling Dodge models as Alfa Romeos in Europe.
"Dodge is the American muscle car, while Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car," Sergio Marchionne told the U.K. publication Autocar. "How we dovetail these two brands is very important."
Marchionne added, "The level of competition between these two brands is tremendous because they are both going after the same customer."
Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA
2009 Dodge Caliber SE
If he's speaking of the Dodge Challenger or Viper, it's still hard to imagine as design-wise they're almost polar opposites from the Alfa GT or 8C. It's difficult to imagine the Alfa MiTo or 147 and a variation of the Dodge Caliber in the same lineup. Meanwhile, the other two vehicles Dodge has been selling in Europe in recent years, the Journey and Nitro, don't appear to compete with any current models from Alfa or Fiat but probably wouldn't work so well as rebadges either.
What is he thinking? We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime you can browse our full review information on the 2009 Dodge Caliber and dream about how it someday might morph into an Alfa.
[Autocar, via Autoblog]
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