Things aren't exactly going great for Italian company Alfa Romeo and probably the main proof for this is the carmaker's plan for the upcoming Geneva Auto Show, one of the largest venues in Europe. Alfa will reduce the size of its stand at the 2011 Geneva show from 979 square meters this year to just 639 square meters, thus lending less space than Fiat, Lancia, Chrysler, Jeep, Ferrari and Maserati, the other brands in the Fiat Group that will attend the event.
What's interesting is that Alfa will cease its space in Hall 3 to Ferrari and Maserati, as Luca Ciferri of Automotive News Europe wrote today, with the Italian brand to move in Hall 4. Curiously, Alfa Romeo's stand will be close to Volkswagen's, the German carmaker that has already confirmed its interest to take over the Italian company.
Wondering what's the reason for such an insignificant presence at such a major event? A Fiat spokesman says that Alfa has nothing new to display in Geneva, so why lend more space? More goodies are likely to be revealed in 2012, so expect a larger Alfa stand in two years.
2012 might also be the year when Alfa Romeo will present the
169, a model that is likely to be based on the LX platform, just like Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. Furthermore, the car is believed to borrow several design elements from other models sold by the Italian iconic brand, including MiTo, Giulietta and 8C Competizione.
More details about Alfa's goodies for the Geneva show are likely to emerge in early 2011 as we get closer to the official debut of the Swiss event.
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