Volkswagen wants to buy Alfa Romeo

By Brett Davis | August 24th, 2010

According to recent reports, Volkswagen has set aside $22.3 billion to purchase ‘a car company’ so it will remain on track with its 2018 plans of becoming world’s largest automotive company.

Volkswagen has offered a bid to purchase Alfa Romeo from Chrysler and Fiat, although a high-ranking Fiat group insider has said the company has no intentions of selling Alfa, and especially not to the Germans.

Toyota is currently the world’s largest car company, while poor-old Volkswagen has to make do with second spot. The recent penchant for Italian suggests if Volkswagen bought Alfa Romeo from Fiat and Chrysler, they would in fact be the world’s largest car company.

Alfa Romeo is currently aiming to sell around half a million cars per year in the near future. If those numbers are achieved with Volkswagen backing the Italian marque, Volkswagen could indeed tip ahead of Toyota.

jimmeh

This only means good for alpha!

Were all thinking of what happend to skoda right???

Dick Justice

it’s Alfa no ‘alpha’.. get it right

Justin

Alfa’s are supposed to be fun, unreliable and sexy, imagine what the Germans would do to it, safe, reliable and sensible, oh the horror!

Fernando

I agree with German safety but I’m not sure Germans are known for reliablity. Especially Volkswagen.

Able

Can Seat, replace it with Alfa. Great idea! It can be VW Group’s ‘exciting’ brand. At least then they’ll be able to produce a V6 that meets emission standards! Then VW Group could learn how to inject some fun into all their cars…

D

Veyron, Golf R, R8, RS4… not fun enough for you hey

Paul

Erm don’t forget that VW also owns Lamborghini and 49.5% of Porsche…

I think VW injection into Alfa might actually make their cars of higher quality but can understand purists not wanting Alfa to ‘sell out’.

Dave

Fingers crossed Alfa does not change hands. Keep Alfa Italian.

John of Perth

Not sure if changing owners will necessarily reduce the ‘flavour’ – much like Tata-LR/Jaguar, Geely-Volvo etc.

In some respects it could enhance the competitiveness of the Lancia label also in the Fiat stable.

Would you say the Mini is German or has an English heritage with German engineering?

I anticipate VW are thinking along similar lines for Alfa Romeo.

However I have to admit it is iconic of all that is Italian – good and bad.

Mikey_94

Why does no one know how to spell ‘Alfa’?

Aleks

I don’t get it who spelled it wrong?

Steve

I get that with my name too. Stefano, not Stephano.

Chris

ohh no if VW buy Alfa you could end up with Reliable Alfa’s. Question If an Alfa doesnt break down is it still an Alfa ??

MattP

As long as it still depreciates by 70% in the first year then it will remain an Alfa.

Aleks

Why give him negatives, he speaks the truth.

Arky

They just want to buy it to become #1.

Given VW’s track record for faulty electronics and overweight sporty cars, you could be forgiven if you thought Alfa was already a VW marque. Can’t see Fiat doing it, though.
Able

D I said ALL their cars, not just the $50k+ bracket! Alfas have a verve that you don’t get in most VW Group cars which I’d like to see put in. If not verve, styling perhaps!? I for one don’t like a fair chunk of VW/Skoda/Seat’/Audis current styling (I even own an Octavia RS which I love, but I hope they make the next gen as fabulous to look at as the amount of fabulous that’s injected into the rest of the car and it’s the same as VW). It’s stylish, but they all look the same!

bangel

Spot on ABLE , style is the key here , alfa has it in large doses .

What VW would offer is more oomph under the bonnet which alfa’s of late dont have , too lethargic , and access to AWD , DSG etc .

zahmad

Well at this stage, Fiat’s powertrain technologies have the Multiair technologies slowly trickling down to the Alfa Romeo range. The 1.4 Multiair has been very positive against the 1.4 Twincharge from VW. If only they get a proper V6 or inline six from these technologies and drop the aging V6 from Holden!

D

You said NONE of their cars were fun, this just isn’t the case. You mentioned nothing about price in your original post.

Myke

“Alfa Romeo currently sells around half a million cars per year…” That’s not correct, Fiat want Alfa to achieve 500,000 by 2014, in 2009 they managed ~100,000.

I think the purchase of Alfa Romeo would be an emotional one, rather than attempting to topple Toyota.

Steve

True, buying a car like an Alfa means you made your choice from the heart. You don’t buy a car like that using your brain. Much like when you’re a teenager, shagging a hot girl without thinking about marrying her, having kids and driving a Camry.

I’d like Alfa to stay Italian. I know when I drive one, I’m happy. When I sit in an Audi, to me, it’s just like sitting in a Lexus. Just an up-market Toyota. It’s stale, it gets the job done.

When you sit in an Alfa, you smile. Same as when I sit in a FIAT 500. I just giggle like a school girl.

These cars are mechanical pieces put together like any other car. Yet somehow they have a soul. It’s like riding a nice, brand new Kawasaki and then jumping on a Ducati. There’s just something else about it that makes them different, and fun.

http://www.caradvice.com.au Jim Goose

Why does VW feel the need to be the worlds biggest car company anyway? Why is this so important? The Italians should tell Veedub to stick it. So they’re only second? Boohoo.

sund00bie

Agreed. GM used to be the biggest car company yeah ? Look at what happened to them

TomJ

Arn’t GM still the biggest?

More importantly, look what has happened to Toyota.

Mythfrances

You commented on almost every single article here… How did you miss that news (Toyota replacing GM as No. 1)?

Underling

Tara should buy it…heh…heh……….heh…..

Golfschwein

Tara? What would SHE know?

Shane

I dont believe this. What does Alfa offer VW? Apart from the badge and heritage alfa does would not offer any value to vw

TomJ

They give VW the means to move into the truely exotic territory.

Alfa Romeo is a hot Italian brand unlike Ferrari and Lamborghini, only arguably more beneficial as they can move it to their cheaper sports car segment.

VW have lots of great car brands for cars that come in silver, black and beige, now they can have a brand for red car enthusiasts.

Paul

Um VW already owns Lamborghini….and Bugatti….

what do you mean truly exotic?! how do you get more exotic than a Veyron?
Paul

And I forgot to add Bentley!

Hung Low

Style, passion, flair..things not synonymous to VW

Elitist

VW owes alot to Fiat for their Common Rail technology they stole in the early 90s. Id always put my money on the Italian when it comes to them vs Germans..
Shak

I dont think Fiat Co will be selling Alfa to anyone considering th plans they have made for them.
Hung Low

VW, the Woolworths of the car world!
Sith

Hitler would very proud in hell if he could read this headline because Volkswagen was his created brand.

Think about..

Paul

Yes well many speculated that had Hitler focussed on dominating the automotive world, he would have had a lot more success!
stefan

yes it was hitlers idead for the brand volkswagen, and it translates to people car, it was made so the poor starving people that couldnt get a job thanks to the treaty of versiles could drive and find jobs in other areas and live a normal life. it was made for the people, so how is a brand that brought cheap transport for the masses an evil car company? just because the man who thought of vw was evil doesnt make the brand the antichrist.

Qikturbo

I think that Fiat should buy Audi.
Although taking away Audi from the “family” would result in VW’s demise
stefan

hey look making alfa romeo reliable and handle properly and drive well wont ruin it, thats what alfa is supposed to be. back in the day alfa was the fun sexy sportier alternative to BMW now there isnt a car that comes close to beating a BMW round a race track. top gear even stated making an alfa reliable wont ruin the brand i just hope that if vw buy alfa they will make it RWD and make the engine together with italians but leave the design al to the Italians (they know what their good at). i have a Brera and love it to death but the amount of parts ive had to spend on it to even make it come close to handle like my old classic guilia is astronomical. we all want alfa to go independat but they cant do it and alfa is sucking the life out it and good god, alfas made by chrysler have you all gone mad? im not a big VW fan but anything is better then the cheap mass production glitzy vulgar brand that is chrysler.