Speaking at the J.D. Power and Associates International Automotive Round-table in San Francisco, Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne bluntly reiterated that the Italians won’t sell Alfa Romeo to the Volkswagen Group, or anyone else for that matter.
“As long as I am CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, Mr. Piech will never have Alfa Romeo. It's hands-off. I told him. I will call him and I will email him”, Marchionne said.
According to Automotive News Europe, Marchionne also took a shot at VW, saying that the group's Chairman Ferdinand Piech should try to turn around Seat, its struggling Spanish brand, instead of eyeing Alfa.
“I'm not the one who bought Seat. He's the one who bought it. I don't know if he can [fix it], but he needs to try”, the Italian official commented.
We’ll remind you that selling Alfa Romeo has been a hot topic for the past year or so, but Fiat never confirmed the rumors, periodically stating that it prefers to revitalize the Milanese company. Prior to Marchionne’s latest remark, it was Fiat Chairman John Elkann who also said that Alfa is not for sale.
“We would not sell Alfa even if we were offered tons of money”, Elkann told reporters on the sidelines of last month’s Detroit Auto Show, adding that the brand will be relaunched in the U.S. in 2012.
By Csaba Daradics
Source: ANE (Sub. required)
