Maserati May Partner with Alfa Romeo in U.S.

SEE ALSO: Alpha Romeo on TACHnet Affiliate Global Auto Index

But First Snide's Remarks; While I was in Italy last fall on a vehicle look around, I fell in love, along with the food and beautiful women, I flipped over the many Alpha roadsters I saw throughout my stay...I can't wait for my fellow TACH'ers to get their driving gloves on the wheel of one of these sports cars...let me know what you think, msnide@theautochannel.com.

Washington DC May 7, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that Maserati has ambitious plans to boost sports car sales in the U.S., which may involve linking up with its fellow countryman Alfa Romeo.

The Detroit News reports that Maserati, owned by Italian mass car maker Fiat which recently separated from GM, is set to end 17 straight years of losses in 2007. "Maserati will finally return to profitability in 2007, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne told financial analysts after announcing its results for 2006.

Maserati is improving its finances, steadily cutting trading losses, and plotting a dramatic increase in global sales, which are set to more than double by 2011 to around 12,000.

A major contributor any sales increase will be the Maserati Quattroporte Automatic, now on sale in the U.S. Maserati dealers in the U.S. are expected to begin selling Alfa Romeos in a couple of years.

Alfa Romeo, also owned by Fiat, withdrew from the U.S. market in 1995, and seems to have been gearing up for a return ever since.

"Maserati dealers in the U.S. would welcome the idea and it would make sense for Alfa. We forecast them entering the U.S. in 2009," said CSM Worldwide's Sales Forecast Manager Walt Madeira.