DCALfas’ member, Bob Lubran alerted us to Bloomberg News’ April 19 story that further confirms Alfa’s return to the United States beginning with the introduction of the 2-seat 4C high performance spider. The Bloomberg story was headlined by Alfa Romeo’s registration of trademarks related to the Alfa 4C:

Marchionne, 59, said April 4 that that the 4C will go on sale in North America by the end of 2013. The Alfa Romeo 4C trademark, covering accessories such as clothing and toys as well as the vehicle and parts, was issued by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 10, according to a release posted late yesterday on the U.S. Federal News Service.

Perhaps of greater interest was the apparent confirmation of what some Alfisti including those of us at DCAlfas.org have long discussed as Alfa’s necessary strategy:  The success of Alfa in the US will only occur by producing BMW-class automobiles but with price tags that will make them stand-outs in the marketplace.  Currently, Alfa plans to produce an initial line up of 6 models including sport-utility vehicles:

Fiat Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne plans to remake Alfa into a luxury brand to compete with industry leader Bayerische Motoren Werke AG. (BMW) Developing a full range of models for Alfa and focusing on North America’s car-market growth are crucial to his strategy of boosting combined revenue…

Clearly, Marchionne has his sights set on a personal legacy of remaking FIAT into something more than just a profitable car company and Alfa Romeo into something more than a derivative brand of re-styled FIATS or re-badged Dodges.  Nothing would assure his legacy more than a successful challenge to an industry leader such as BMW.

Full article on Bloomberg: Bloomberg 4C Registration

Thanks to David Wase, editor of DC Alfas for the update!