Well this is a hell of a rumour, that has been getting louder and louder over the past few months. Fiat has been whining about Alfa Romeo not making any money for the company for a LONG time now….and according to several articles I have been reading as of late, it seems that Walter De Silva (ex-Alfa Romeo design chief, now VW/Audi design chief) has been urging Martin Winterkorn to really go after buying Alfa Romeo should Fiat decide to sell the brand. Walter De Silva is so excited about this all, that according to one article i found, it states: “Given what is assumingly the passion for Alfa design, de Silva has in thoughts already about 8 models for Alfa, along with designs as well as drawings.” Easy boy!
To be honest, as someone who is REALLY into Audis and their philosophy, I have been seeing Audi as the new Alfa Romeo for the past few years…..they’re making the cars that Alfa should be making….and the Volkswagen group buying Alfa Romeo could REALLY rejuvenate the brand.
Is there any truth to this? we’ll have to see! It could just be substance-less, gossip…..or it could be the real thing. Knowing the way Volkswagen works, i wouldn’t doubt they are after the brand.
here are some articles about it:
IEDEI 
Nono, bad idea. I agree that Fiat had some bad decisions about Alfa Romeo in the past years, but at least they still remain a real italian brand. Plus VW wont’t buy Alfa if it should be like Audi. Why would they buy “another Audi” if they already have one? And it’s true, if we look at the past few years you can see lots of competitors in the Audi and Alfa Romeo lineup.
Audi Allroad Quattro? Alfa Romeo Crosswagon.
Audi A4? Alfa Romeo 159.
Audi A1? Alfa Romeo Mito
But! There’s one big difference between them. Alfa Romeo doesn’t make powerful road cars (maybe the Quadrifoglios) and it’s okay like that. They make unique and beautiful cars with sporty feeling, while they remain relatively cheap.
I agree with many of your points. However, i gotta say that Audi really improved Lamborghini in every way imaginable, while NOT diluting the italian madness of the brand, IMO. You are right that Alfa Romeo doesn’t make ‘powerful’ road cars, aside from certain specialty cars (Montreal, 8C, etc..) however they do give their cars significant power sometimes (147 GTA = Audi S3, 156 GTA = S4?)…i think VW is the only company that COULD buy Alfa Romeo and not sell out the brand to the devil….Alfa Romeo really hasn’t built good cars in the last few years. The Brera was gorgeous, but a terrible performer by all accounts—-i’m wondering if a Brera would have been made if VW owned it; it could have been put on the A5 chassis and made much more beautiful…and capable! Interesting points though……would be very interesting if it did happen, i’m sure plenty of Alfisti would be shouting and crying about it though!
VW-ish Alfa Romeo Brera? Hmmm, you mean VW Scirocco? 🙂
haha…you’re right, the VW Brera = Scirocco…..however i’m not so sure that the Brera is really on a chassis that can handle the weight or the FWD drivetrain….the Scirocco is based on the Golf, which appears to handle performance goals much better!
Walter De Silva should be back designing Alfas. He was the best creative director the ever had, and Alfa has been on the decline since he left. The MiTO is a joke next to the 147, and the 8C is a disappointment, frankly. De Silva’s Nuvola was prettier. Meanwhile De Silva has been designing “italian” cars for Audi lately (how is the R8 a teutonic car?? Not at all, IMHO). I for one Alfista would be thrilled to see Alfa out of FIAT-Chrysler’s clutches and in the hands of a company that actually knows how to run an enthusiast brand, and actually has resources to put towards marketing and distributing it. Please let this rumor be true!
there are definitely some italian cues going into the latest Audis….i’m assuming you’ve seen that latest E-Tron concept (possible production “R4”), that looks like an italian concept coupe from Alfa….well at least we know de Silva wants to be a part of Alfa again soon…..i’m just hoping he sticks around Audi AND also works with Alfa, even if this deal happened. Part of me thinks it won’t happen, but another part of me thinks that Fiat would do anything for the right price; including sell Alfa Romeo…..but i definitely agree with you, that VW/Audi would be good for the company; more resources, more profile, better development than just plopping an Alfa badge onto a Fiat, for goodness sake!
I was referring to the fact that the A4 now looks like a 156, mainly. And the Scirocco is very much like a FIAT Brava. The R8 just seems too flowing and flashy to be German, to me. It looks more italianate.
The German luxury brands have their model lineups well sorted and competitive. So much so that to the average luxury buyer (as opposed to a die-hard fan of one brand) the specs are so even that it comes down to which badge you want on your driveway.
Unfortunately, Alfa took a back seat to Germans in this regard. In Europe, Alfa should be the Italian version, or the fourth option, to the Germans. Instead it’s completely outclassed. Although the 159 drives well and is good value, Italians with expendable income will still choose a BMW or Audi over it. I know this because I live in Milano. Sadly, it’s no longer a status symbol.
They need to up their status with cars that are on par with their German counterparts and design models to compete with each class too.
If VW buys Alfa Romeo I will certainly not buy another Alfa Romeo.
They will destroy the very soul of Alfa. VW and Audi are corporate bullies. They want to take over the automotive world by becoming bigger than Toyota. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want to be associated with that. Alfa Romeo stands for different in the same way as Apple inc. Alfa Romeo is on their way up again – they have a rear wheel drive platform now and their build quality has already improved (New Giulietta as an example).
Apple also went through a long low. Both Alfa and Apple are the epitome of individuality, art and “cool”.
It would be like Apple inc. selling out to Microsoft corp!
God, could you imagine that!!
do not agree with you at all. Alfa Romeo’s soul was lost a LOOONG time ago. AUDI are currently the APPLE of the automotive world….the best design and the best balance of functionality, engineering, and design. Alfa Romeo are currently in a pretty crap state of affairs, selling 2nd rate rebadged Fiat products…..Audi running Alfa Romeo would be the best thing to happen to Alfa Romeo in a long time……..it will happen, it is simply a matter of time.