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Alfa Romeo’s Quality Is Now Similar to German Rivals, Says CEO

Alfa Romeo used to be a brilliant automaker and racing team until 1986 when Fiat acquired the brand. Under the Italian automaker, Alfa Romeo slowly but steadily adopted platforms and engines from Fiat and General Motors, losing its identity and commercial success along the way.
Alfa Romeo Giulia 39 photos
Photo: Alfa Romeo
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Revealed in June 2015 on a brand-new platform co-developed with Ferrari, the Giulia compact executive sedan was expected to make amends for more than a quarter of a century of neglect and compromise. A stunning driver’s car in every respect, the Giulia failed to do so.

A sporty four-door sedan doesn’t have a place in these SUV-driven times, which brings us to the Giulia-based Stelvio. The D-segment crossover sold 10,284 units in the United States and 17,438 units in Europe in 2020, representing a downturn from previous years. Why didn’t the Stelvio triumph, you might be asking? For starters, Alfa Romeo doesn’t have the same name recognition as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi in this segment. And secondly, the quality of German rivals is much, much higher.

As if that wasn’t bad enough for the Italian challenger, the Consumer Reports Auto Reliability 2021 survey doesn’t even include Alfa Romeo because of “insufficient data and/or too few models.” Despite these circumstances, head honcho Jean-Philippe Imparato told Automotive News Europe that Alfa Romeo matches German competitors in terms of quality.

The Frenchman may be wishful thinking, but he’s also a man of his word based on his achievements at Peugeot and Citroën within Groupe PSA. For example, Imparato has recently postponed the Tonale until 2022, demanding better performance from the PHEV powertrain.

Looking at the bigger picture, the Germans aren’t doing too hot in terms of quality either. The Consumer Reports Auto Reliability 2021 survey mentioned earlier lists BMW in 12th place with 52 points to its name while Mazda and Toyota reign supreme with 83 and 74 points. Audi is 14th with 46 points, and Mercedes has only 40 points.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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