New launches see Fiat Group become better corporate fit
Date:
19 January 2015
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Author:
Fixing Alfa
Fiat Group's fleet and used car director Francis Bleasdale admits that the premium Alfa Romeo brand hasn't had the best of times recently in the fleet sector, but says it is about to turn a corner. "We're going to fix Alfa, which has really been treading water from a fleet perspective, and will have the product to take it into the upper medium segment [in 2016]", he says. "We, previously, have not done as good a job as we should have done in building awareness and building volume of the Giulietta. It's a great alternative to established C-segment cars."
He says the new Business Edition trim, that offers fleet-friendly equipment such as metallic paint, satnav and parking sensors, can "give people a compelling reason to look again at Alfa".
"In this day of conformity and uniform choice lists, it represents something different for someone on their second or third iteration of a German brand," Bleasdale continues. "Historically, Alfa has not punched at its weight. The 156 and 159 models clearly were at a certain point in time, but as these products ceased to be, Alfa has not been able to do that."
But while Alfa Romeo is in line for a boost when the new upper medium saloon arrives next year, notable by its absence was any talk about the Chrysler brand, which has been subject to reports that the two remaining models, the Ypsilon supermini and executive 300C, will be deleted from sale in the UK.
"The cars are still available through dealers - it's something for the future," says a spokesman. "They're still part of the offer and available. We've got to look at what we have got across the group. Things are going to change and evolve."
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