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I'm suggesting customer orders, not those that dealers place to build their inventories. These would come through the dealers, of course, but have a name associated with them and a deposit down on each one. I think Porsche has proved a manufacturer CAN have an almost unlimited options process, but that's not what I'm thinking. I only want those options that already exist (are tooled up) on Giulia/Stelvios to become more readily available. I don't think it would double or triple Alfa sales, but sales would improve if the word got out that you could build exactly what you want, not the paucity of choices offered today. And I never said Alfa was losing sales because of a lack of colors, although that could be the case for certain colors.

Alfa lost a sale from me due to the limited interior colour options now available. I was fired up to buy a new Veloce but instead bought a lightly used 2020 so I could get the tan interior. Here in Australia at least our colour options are now extremely limited, which I suspect is putting some prospective customers off.

 

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See, this distorts the problem. Your problem was color and we can all agree limitations exist. However, you already liked the car, so much so, that you were willing to risk your ownership experience with a used car.

You’re already an Alfista, and no we don’t want to lose you, but again the problem is converting new customers from the competition.

Alfa doesn’t lose comparison articles due to a lack of color choices. They lose due to reliability fears, small interior space, poor dealer access or some other item that BMW does better (actual or perceived).

You're positioning this as an either/or. Either customers are staying away because of limited colour/trim options OR they're staying away because of perceived reliability, dealer network, less interior space. However I think ALL those things are true - it doesn't have to be an either/or.

Though I guess the real question is whether the savings from reduced complexity are worth the sales they lose as a result (or vice versa: would the cost and complexity of increased choice be worth the marginal sales uptick). I do think that a marque which is predicated on being characterful and unique does not particularly benefit from a restrictive set of choices - especially when some of the historic options (eg a tan leather interior) are really classic Alfa options.

In my case, I'm buying the car as an indulgence, and to my eyes it's just much more beautiful and characterful in options other than the anonymous black leather interior. No point shelling out for an indulgence which you're always wistfully going to look at and think 'if only'. That sort of emotive decision making is exactly what Alfa positions itself as catering to, so when the beancounters really strip choice down to a minimum then they're placing jarring reality checks in the way of that emotional connection - which is not smart IMHO.