Mopar integral to FCA customisation, but not for Alfa Romeo

After all, we've driven an MX-5-based Abarth 124 Spider recently, and if you look closely at the Abarth 595, for example, you'll see Mopar stamping. Same goes for the car on which it is based, the Fiat 500.

Is it likely, then, that Alfa Romeo owners will be able to see Mopar stamping under a microscope?

"When we started in 2009, we decided Mopar wasn’t just parts," said Pietro Gorlier, head of parts and service for Mopar, when we put that question to him at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this week.

"There was a recognition at that time that customisation is an important selling tool. If you drive a customised car, it becomes your personal expression."

Gorlier went on to say that it's not just about the parts, either, with Mopar broadening its focus on quality across all elements of the ownership experience.

"Customer service is part of that, too," Gorlier said. "We became the brand for the service experience across the group and that DNA of customisation was present also in Fiat owners."

Gorlier thinks then that Mopar branding is a good fit - in some cases. "It was not really difficult to blend the two cultures across the various brands," Gorlier said.

"In fact, the exciting part of Mopar is being able to make a different interpretation of every brand."

Is that true then of the iconic Alfa Romeo marque?

"Alfa Romeo is repositioning itself now," Gorlier said. "We (Mopar) are still the suppliers for all the parts and service for Alfa Romeo, but the parts are Alfa Romeo-branded and will remain that way." Gorlier is adamant that Alfa Romeo must maintain its unique sense of identity right down to the smallest details.

Gorlier went on to explain that an Alfa Romeo buyer is very much invested in the history of the brand, the story of the company and the decades of legend that have made the company what it is today. It seems, then, that Alfa Romeo customers might be a little bit different to others within the FCA conglomerate.

" The customer is fully committed to Alfa Romeo and the heritage and history, absolutely," Gorlier said.

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