Fiat Prepares Another Alfa Revival Plan

Fiat SpA is expected in April to unveil the fourth turnaround plan in 10 years for its Alfa Romeo brand, Automotive News Europe reports.

Fiat hasn't indicated how much the relaunch effort will cost, but ANE says one analyst estimates the investment at €5 billion over the next five years.

Alfa has struggled for years with a limited product lineup and poor sales outside Europe. The unit hasn't posted a full-year profit since Sergio Marchionne took over as Fiat's CEO nine years ago.

Alfa's new plan is to produce an array of high-performance cars that are built in Italy and sold worldwide, according to ANE. It says the brand's lineup will feature at least four new models that utilize a new platform currently being developed at Maserati headquarters in Modena. The same platform also will carry an array of future Chrysler and Dodge models.

ANE says the first of the new models will debut at about the end of 2015. Marchionne has predicted the wave of new Alfa products would boost the brand's global sales from 101,000 vehicles last year to more than 300,000 units in 2020. Skeptical analysts tell ANE they think volume to be closer to 223,000 units by then.