ROME – “Alfa is a great Italian challenge. The future will start from here “. This is Jean-Philippe Imparato, a 54-year-old Frenchman of Italian origins and new CEO of the Arese brand of the Stellantis group. A career in the car that began in Psa (first in Peugeot and then in Citroen), at the age of 24, immediately after graduating from L’École de Management in Grenoble.
The future is called Tonale, the next Alfa SUV, the most anticipated model to be built in Pomigliano (Stelvio and Giulia in Cassino). The car on which the house’s recovery plan rests. “The launch will take place in March next year and will arrive at the dealership in June, immediately after the Republic Day,” says Imparato. He adds: “It will be the first electrified car in the house”. This is precisely the other fixed point of the future, given that today without electrified models you can’t go anywhere. Indeed as Learned says “you are dead”. Thus, in the next product plan, announced in 2022, the first 100% electric will also appear.
In any case, the idea is to use all the platforms of the group and above all the high level of technology: “I take all the technological support of Stellantis and then we put our own, working with the Italian team. Even in terms of sensations, the emotions that a brand like Alfa needs ”.
Learned has no doubts about passion, image and strategy: “Alfa is an excellent global premium brand, known in 97 percent of the world. The passion is great but you have to work on it “. Of course, this alone is not enough. “We must, in fact, achieve an economic performance that protects the brand”, says the manager, “and allows it to face the future. This means two things: the first is that Alfa must enter the market segments where it is possible to make the right level of volumes and that every time an investment decision is made, there must be an adequate return ”.
Even more clear about the competitors and therefore about the game to be played at the model level: “I want to convince the market that the residual value is up to the German competitors. We must, therefore, organize a business to support value. I’m not afraid to say it, our quality is competitive with the Germans ”.
Then there is the bet of the markets and of course America and China, both fundamental for Alfa and for the whole automotive world. “We are in the US and we will stay there,” says Imparato, “but we must improve the quality of the business. On the other hand, there are no other ways to be global than to put Alfa everywhere. Including China. On this last point I remain cautious because there is still everything to do but I see that the global image situation is truly surprising and the potential for enormous growth. The Chinese want Alfa and the ones we sell are all top of the range and of the highest level. Lots of Quadrifoglio and GTA ”.
And speaking of Quadrifoglio, this will be the name of the Alfa sports cars, a real line included in the next product plan. Together with the small SUV, of course, the segment B one which will be “electrified and produced in Tychy, Poland”.
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