Alfa Romeo cars return to U.S. with better quality, beauty

Italian automaker hopes to lure luxury market with design.

Alfa Romeo conjures romantic images of winning races, screaming sports cars, and finely tuned sedans, but also reminds older generations of questionable quality that helped dislodge the Italian brand from the U.S. market 20 years ago. Alfa is back with a new generation of sports cars and crossovers and an ambitious plan to distinguish it from German competitors.

Founded in Milan 107 years ago, Alfa Romeo has stated it intends to sell 150,000 vehicles annually in North America by 2018. Its strategy calls for a range of sporty models, from the 4C two-seater to as many as eight crossovers and sedans, but it must refurbish its reputation.

“Many Americans have heard of Alfa Romeo, but not many know they’re back in the U.S. market,” said Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at Edmunds. “Alfa Romeo made a big splash with commercials during Super Bowl 51. Carving out a niche in a crowded luxury space will be Alfa Romeo’s biggest challenge. Americans place a premium on European brands and appreciate Italian design, so I expect Alfa to push this as their differentiating point.”

To be successful, Alfa Romeo will have to deliver extraordinary vehicles.

An entire generation came of age with the romantic, harried image of Dustin Hoffman in 1967 driving a red Alfa Romeo Spider in “The Graduate.” Like the film, Alfa was special, artful even.

“As Italian pocket rockets, the pre-war designs of Alfa Romeo are exquisite and the postwar styling is everyone’s image of a daily driver sports car,” said Cindy Banzer, president of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club. “Easy to drive, not high maintenance, the Spiders are head-turners. Driving an Alfa is a pleasurable diversion.”

It’s this imagery of tranquil drives and beautiful design that separate Alfa from German automakers. The Quadrifoglio editions, marked by a four-leaf clover honoring Alfa’s storied racing history, symbolize Alfa’s performance pedigree with high-horsepower variants challenging Mercedes-AMG and BMW’s M Series.

“They all start being the same,” said Pieter Hogeveen, director of Alfa Romeo North America. “Passion left the segment and we’re trying to bring it back.”

Until recently, Alfa Romeo sold only the midengine, two-seat 4C Coupe/Spider, with a rough but lovely ride. Lightweight carbon fiber construction and a 237 horsepower turbo-four enable 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds and 160 mph. Prices start at $55,900 for the coupe, $65,900 for convertible Spiders.

Alfa Romeo’s main assault begins with the stunning 2017 Giulia sedan, aimed at the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Audi A4/S4. It’s available with a 280 horsepower turbo-four, or in Quadrifoglio trim, with a 505-horsepower twin-turbo V-6 engine. Both models employ carbon fiber drive shafts, but Quadrifoglio adds a carbon fiber hood and roof. The Alfa male clicks 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds and 191 mph. Base prices range $37,995 to $72,000.

Later this year, the Stelvio compact crossover, which just as well could be a hot hatch, debuts with trim levels, engines, and architecture shared with Giulia. It will compete with the BMW X3, Mercedes GLC, and Porsche Macan. Prices TBD.

“From a styling standpoint, both new models are eye-catching,” Caldwell said. “They exhibit exciting Italian design which will be positive for American consumers. Luxury buyers are looking to stand out from the status quo, so a new brand is a selling point. Coming out early with a compact crossover is smart. That is the best-selling segment in the U.S.”

European competitors have seen massive sales gains with compact crossovers, but how are the new Alfas being received by enthusiasts?

“Embraced with gusto,” Banzer said.

“In the world of washing machine vehicles and street-legal golf carts, it is a delight to have a mid-range vehicle that reignites one’s passion for driving.”

While the new vehicles flaunt considerable character, their endurance is unproven. Quality — perceived and real — is one reason Alfa Romeo left the U.S. market after 1995.

Not enough time has passed to know Alfa Romeo’s recent quality, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ other brands hover near the bottom of J.D. Power surveys.

J.D. Power’s 2017 Vehicle Dependability Study, which measures consumer-reported defects of 3-yearold cars during the last 12 months, places FCA models in four of the five bot- tom spots: Ram (183), Dodge (187), Jeep (209), and Fiat (298). Chrysler (159) was just below the median of 156 problems per 100 vehicles.

This clearly would not impress German luxury owners, most of whom own vehicles comfortably in the upper half of ratings. What is Alfa Romeo doing different?

“We designed a unique powertrain and architecture focused on quality,” Hogeveen said. “Competitive warranties and 1-year/10,000-mile maintenance intervals show faith in product.”

Quality has not escaped the minds of enthusiasts either.

“When the beautiful 4C was introduced, my comment was, ‘Now the only challenge for FCA is if the mechanics hold up,’” Banzer said. “I have not heard any grumblings of issues, mechanical or otherwise, with the cars that have been purchased.”

Hyundai, Kia, and Audi all flourished despite onetime reputations for poor quality, Caldwell said.

What made the difference? Delivering high-quality cars ultimately changed perceptions.