Fiat Delays Alfa Romeo's U.S. Return Once Again, This Time Until 2011...

In 2006 the Fiat Group had confirmed rumors that it was planning to relaunch its Alfa Romeo brand in the U.S. as soon as 2007. Evidently, that never happened. Since then, the Italians have been constantly pushing back Alfa's return to the U.S. Having said that, it comes to no surprise that Fiat Group Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne announced yet another delay for Alfa's U.S. launch, this time for 2011 instead of 2010. "It would be simply crazy to invest in bringing Alfa back to a depressed U.S. market," Fiat Group Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne told Automotive News in an analysts call. -Continued

Maybe, but it's even crazier when a large company like the Fiat Group constantly postpones its plans. This kind of mentality tells us that the Italian automaker's management is either not at all committed to Alfa's comeback or even worse, has not worked on a viable plan that foresees changes in the market and/or the industry itself.

Can you imagine for example VW coming out and saying that it will delay the construction of its Tennessee plant because the U.S. market is depressed or because the dollar is gaining strength against the euro?

Either make a decision and stick to it or else don't make any announcements at all until your absolutely sure that you have worked things out.