It may be hard to believe if you live in the U.S., but according to Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, Alfa Romeo is making money. Enough money that the brand is actually profitable and, thus, not going anywhere anytime soon. And boy, do we really want to believe that’s true.
Autocar reports that Tavares said as much at the Paris motor show:
Alfa is going very well. The business has been turned around and it is profitable. It is now in a position to fund its own future – it’s safe. The turnaround was done even before the launch of Tonale. This will be a record year for the brand. Alfa is set for the next 10 years. Since we created Stellantis, its turnaround has been spectacular.
If you’re not already familiar, the Tonale is Alfa’s new compact crossover that’s set to go on sale here in the spring of next year. We haven’t had the chance to review the Tonale yet, but initial reviews from other outlets sound pretty positive. It probably won’t print money the way certain Lexus crossovers do, but the apparent success of this utility vehicle can only mean good things for Alfa, especially in the U.S.
After all, it’s not like the cars Alfa currently sells here — the Giulia sport sedan and the Stelvio midsize crossover, were unattractive or bad to drive. (RIP Alfa Romeo 4C, the last true sports car to come from the legendary Italian brand.) But slower-than-expected sales forced Alfa to scale back its plans for the U.S. It’s unfortunate, but we get it. The sports cars we want are not the cars that sell well here.
Tavares acknowledged as much, saying that Stellantis’ three luxury brands — Alfa, DS, and Lancia — don’t currently contribute much to the conglomerate’s overall profitability compared to some competitors. He did, however, spin that as a positive, saying, “So it’s an opportunity for us. This is one of our things working well at the moment, and what I see makes me confident.”
So there you go. No need to worry about Alfa Romeo. It’s safe and secure, and maybe, just maybe, if it sells enough Tonales, we’ll actually get a new 8C. Eventually. We hope.