Fiat delays Alfa Romeo U.S. return to 2011

Due to the global financial crisis, Fiat is delaying the return of Alfa Romeo to the U.S. by a year to 2011. The company is also reducing its target to sell 300,000 units a year in China to 50,000 annually.

Originally, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne had planned an Alfa return to the U.S. in the final quarter of 2009 but delayed it to 2010. Now Marichonne is saying that “it would be simply crazy investing for returning Alfa in such a depressed U.S. market.”

There is no word on how delayed product launches will be for Alfa Romeo in the U.S. Besides the already sold out Alfa Romeo 8C, we’re expected to see a large rear-wheel-drive sedan and a compact SUV that will compete with the BMW X3.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)