Believe me my friend, with the work I am doing for alfa romeo, I know the reality inside the company that are simply scary (consider the marketing CEO is a lady coming from fashion system...she is nicknamed as the "hairdresser" there by enegeneers...terrible in a so male work ambient..in such matters we italians are incredible).
Nobody dares to talk to Marchionne, as in military organizations, he is a great manager, but coming from FINANCIAL sectors, not technical, and not at all an engeneer.
And alfa romeo deeply needs to return at its origin (if they can do this), returning to beat the BMW as they did till the 80s,first of all returning to that fucking rwd they had during the glory time.
people buys alfa IF they are THE alfas, not if they are fiat with a differnet make up.
The situation inside alfa romeo seems just a BIG joke, and they are doing (typically italian also this..)2 kind of company:
one is dedicated to very rich and usually foreigner customers able to spend pile of money in wonderful dreamcars as 8c Competizione, that is actually a Tuning Maserati, and for all the others...they can offer only cars that italians dont like (and indeed we are the greatest client for german cars..much more than germans,they make special version only for italian market.)
Also me, after MY experience with some fiats...ONLY will have and buy german cars, at least until I can buy something SERIOUS italian, or something british
,where I can accept also to see the front lights flying away as I saw using a Lotus elise form a friend
.....u know what I mean.