Marchionne Swears to Keep Alfa Romeo, Hits at VW Boss

Alfa Romeo has remained an attractive target for Volkswagen, despite statements coming from Italy that underlined the iconic brand is not for sale. And Sergio Marchionne felt the need to emphasize this aspect once again, clearly stating that Alfa Romeo is not and will not be for sale as long as he'll be at the helm of Fiat Group.

A few months ago, Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piech said in a statement that Alfa Romeo would do much better under his ownership, suggesting that the German would have what it takes to turn the Italian brand into a major market success. However, Marchionne rejected the possibility to sell Alfa Romeo from the beginning, revealing that Fiat Group's plans for Alfa are very likely to bring the company back on track.

This time however, Marchionne was a bit more acid and recommended Piech to pay more attention to his very own business, pointing to SEAT, the Spanish-based carmaker that doesn't go too well these days.

"As long as I am CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, Mr. Piech will never have Alfa Romeo. It's hands-off. I told him. I will call him and I will email him," Marchionne said according to Autonews Europe. "I'm not the one who bought Seat. He's the one who bought it. I don't know if he can [fix it], but he needs to try."

In the meantime, Fiat works on its plans to relaunch Alfa in the United States, obviously with the help of the alliance it formed with Chrysler. The first models will be launched in the US in late 2012, Alfa officials said at the 2011 NAIAS.