With such limited sales, those that are unhappy will dilute the pool quicker.
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This article does not say what you claim it says. They do want to broaden their market, but the article explicitly states that sedans are out of fashion, but Alfa "believes in them". There's no simple move to the mainstream described here for Alfa.Everyone does realize Alfa does not want to cater to a smaller market right? Sales have never been as good as they wanted from day one. They want to sell more and be more mainstream. Alfa wants to be a BMW.
Alfa Romeo’s Slow Sales Limited By “Sporty Image” Says Spokesman For Brand With Abysmal Quality Reputation | Carscoops
UK boss says Alfa will move away from relying on emotional appeal to snare more rational buyerswww.carscoops.com
The bottom line is that sports sedans aren't mainstream, end of story! If Alfa wanted to simply sell more, they wouldn't be making sports cars at all. And Porsche wouldn't sell 911s. There is a formula for profit that doesn't rely on mainstream mass-market products. Alfa may want to broaden its focus, but that doesn't mean that they want to be mainstream, or that they want to be BMW.
Makes sense, but your decision should not stem from observations of the Tonale. You should want a successful Tonale, to ensure viability of the brand and a strong dealer network... to service your Giulia!
It's understood in the industry that the Cayenne saved Porsche, so they could continue to make 911s. It's no different for Alfa here. In an ideal world, Alfa will add mainstream models like the Tonale, to create sales, allowing them to make cars like the Giulia that fill a niche and remain profitable through economies of scale. This is where @Mspider has it wrong. Selling to the mainstream is not the only formula for success, and a product strategy can be diversified and not just monolithic. They can have a greater appeal to the mainstream with Tonale and other models, while allowing cars like the Giulia to remain niche and avoid "BMW-ification".
Edit, added: In reality, where I hope Alfa goes is not the direction of BMW, but rather the direction of Porsche. Nothing in their communications indicates this can't be the case. "Appealing to more mainstream buyers" can be done through adding more mainstream models, not necessarily mainstreaming all their models. A la Porsche.
Good take, I think the Porsche business model could also work here. That would be the more ideal play for us. But we shall see what happens.Makes sense, but your decision should not stem from observations of the Tonale. You should want a successful Tonale, to ensure viability of the brand and a strong dealer network... to service your Giulia!
It's understood in the industry that the Cayenne saved Porsche, so they could continue to make 911s. It's no different for Alfa here. In an ideal world, Alfa will add mainstream models like the Tonale, to create sales, allowing them to make cars like the Giulia that fill a niche and remain profitable through economies of scale. This is where @Mspider has it wrong. Selling to the mainstream is not the only formula for success, and a product strategy can be diversified and not just monolithic. They can have a greater appeal to the mainstream with Tonale and other models, while allowing cars like the Giulia to remain niche and avoid "BMW-ification".
Edit, added: In reality, where I hope Alfa goes is not the direction of BMW, but rather the direction of Porsche. Nothing in their communications indicates this can't be the case. "Appealing to more mainstream buyers" can be done through adding more mainstream models, not necessarily mainstreaming all their models. A la Porsche.
I'll give credit where it's due, the G-chassis 2 and 3 series are pretty solid cars to drive. I've driven all variants including the M340 on autocross. I had an E90 and swore off the brand when the F-chassis came but these two models have somewhat impressed me. The X3M/X4M I also enjoyed. I've yet to drive the G80 M3 but I'm sure it's great too...just no QV
BUT, they are pretty muted as you alluded to. You can tell the chassis is amazing, and the steering while mostly muted is responsive enough, but I've found these cars really have to be pushed beyond 8/10s to "feel" engaging to drive. The difference is that the E-chassis cars and our Alfa Giulias is they are playful and engaging almost all the time!
The remainder of BMWs portfolio mostly suck to drive from an enthusiast standpoint. Very solid cars but they may as well be Mercs. My mom's G05 X5 M sport is a far cry from the E70 M Sport she replaced it with. The G05 is a total cruiser. Fingertip-light steering, copious body roll, etc. You can tell there's a solid chassis there, but you'll get nauseous if you push the car at all.
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