Alfa Romeo to go it alone

Next week will see the unveiling of a five-year strategy for the Fiat-Chrysler group, and it's expected to include the spin-off of Alfa Romeo as a separate entity. That would see the struggling brand sit apart in a similar way to Ferrari and Maserati, in which the group also has a majority stake.

The plans also include limiting Alfa Romeo production to Italy, sourcing engines from Ferrari and having only rear-wheel drive cars -- all strategies that have proved successful for Maserati.

According to industry journal Automotive News, Fiat-Chrysler head Sergio Marchionne wants to shear off Alfa as part of a relaunch for the brand, which includes public disclosure of its financial statements.

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"Marchionne needs to make Alfa's P&L clearly visible to make this new relaunch attempt into a credible business proposition," a source is cited as saying. Echoing the Maserati strategy, there would be only rear-wheel drive Alfa cars, with all-wheel drive platforms being used only for SUVs and crossovers.

Marchionne has rolled out a number of different strategies -- four in total -- to boost Alfa out of the doldrums over the past 10 years. But despite the most recent plan having a target of seeing annual sales rise to 500,000 by the end of this year, the brand finished 2013 with just over 20 per cent of that figure.