Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

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Iconic Italian brand Alfa has hit on tough times, but a plan has been hatched for its revival.

What happened? Alfa Romeo is a shadow of its former self. The 100-year-old marque, once one of the world's most cherished automotive brands, is now an also-ran, left in the tyre tracks of its rivals.

It's a far cry from the brand's glory days, when it produced iconic cars including the 8C 2300, Spider, Alfetta, Giulia TZ, GTV and Alfasud.

It used cutting-edge technology including transaxles and inboard disc brakes in mainstream vehicles; items that are these days reserved for a limited number of high-end exotics.

Advertisement: Story continues below Alfa Romeo was the brand that helped Enzo Ferrari on his path; the young Italian ran the Alfa Romeo racing operation under the Scuderia Ferrari banner in the 1930s.

In the 1950s, it won the first two formula one world championships. It has also won 17 European Touring Car Championships, 11 Mille Miglia (the world's toughest road race) titles and two world sports car championships. But today that tradition of success only serves to highlight its fall from grace.

Alfa Romeo should be Italy's answer to Audi and BMW; a sporty, dynamic and aspirational brand.

Instead it seems to be hanging on for dear life. The company has only two new models, the MiTo and Giulietta hatchbacks, and its crucial Giulia sedan, a 159 replacement, has been delayed until 2013 because its styling was underwhelming.

It has no sports utility vehicles (leaving it on the sidelines in one of the most popular global markets) or large sedans. Its other models, the sporty GT, Spider and Brera, have been pensioned off, too.

So while Audi and BMW are churning out new niche vehicles to widen their reach, Alfa is merely rebuilding its basic line-up. It has only four model lines, compared with 18 for BMW and 20 for Audi.

The lack of products is reflected in the sales race, where it is a long way off the pace: roughly half a million vehicles behind Audi and BMW in Europe. Last year, it was outsold by Mini in Europe.

But there is hope. Sergio Marchionne, boss of Alfa's parent company, Fiat, has a definitive plan to turn things around and become a serious player again.

If Marchionne can pull it off it will be a remarkable revival and earn him an esteemed place in automotive history.

The rebuilding will start with at least two SUVs (a compact and mid-sizer) and a pair of sports cars, as well as a return to the US for the brand. The ultimate goal is to lift sales from about 100,000 cars a year to 500,000.

The SUVs will share mechanicals with Jeep products, courtesy of Fiat's stake in Chrysler. But neither will appear before late next year, which seems like a long way away.

For all its troubles, though, Alfa Romeo remains a desirable brand and not just to consumers. Volkswagen Group has made its affection for the brand known by publicly declaring its desire to buy it from Fiat.

''It's a beautiful brand but there are quality issues with the engines and suspension systems, for example,'' the chief executive officer of Volkswagen, Martin Winterkorn, said last year. ''I'm quite sure we could make a beautiful brand out of Alfa again.''

He is not alone. The chairman of Volkswagen Group, Ferdinand Piech, has also aired his belief that the German giant can resurrect Alfa Romeo better than Fiat. ''Alfa is the one brand with the biggest potential for improvement,'' Piech told journalists at last year's Paris motor show.

He sees it as an ideal partner for Volkswagen's Spanish budget brand, Seat. Rumour has it Volkswagen has gone as far as exploring production facilities and the possibility of platform and engine sharing if it brought Alfa Romeo into the fold.

''Seat would be to Alfa Romeo what Skoda is to Volkswagen,'' Piech said.

The thought of Alfa Romeo being swallowed by the Volkswagen conglomerate has split opinions among brand loyalists, known as Alfisti.

While some baulk at the idea of the great Italian brand being sold to the Germans, others believe Volkswagen can bring stability, reliability and greater economies of scale.

For his part, Marchionne has rejected the Volkswagen advances and declared Fiat will never sell Alfa Romeo while he's in charge.

Aside from the SUVs, which will provide much-needed volume, Marchionne is committed to retaining the brand's sporty roots.

In 2013 there will be a new Spider convertible, but the star attraction of the reborn Alfa Romeo will be the stunning 4C sports car. When it was revealed at last year's Geneva motor show it shocked and surprised.

It was such a positive reception the decision was quickly taken to turn it into a production model for launch next year.

It showed everything that was good about the brand - performance, dynamics, style - and with extensive use of carbon fibre, it won't rust.

But above all, it proved there is life left in the marque.

http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/wherefore-art-thou-romeo-20110825-1jank.html