Of course every maker who sold cars in the US had to comply with emission standards. Those with the best powerplant engineering, Honda for example, were able to meet the standards without crippling their engines. I was an automotive journalist in the early eighties and recall attending an event to mark Alfa's return to the US market. They made a lot of mistakes at almost every turn. These included horrible PR, confused product launches, and an incompetent dealer network. Blaming the US government is silly. Paul
> Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote: > > > For higher end cars and SUVs, a V8 engine is a big plus in US auto > > marketing. It has little to do with actual performance needs (although > > for some vehicles, added torque and smoothness of a larger displacement > > V8 helps) but the US auto market has a long history of favoring the V8 > > engine configuration. > > > > I would love to see Alfa Romeo return to this market and be successful. > > I'd hate to see them return and become a niche market flop due to the > > same lack of understanding of the US that caused them to pull out in > > the first place. > > You got that one wrong, Godfrey. > It was the U.S. Government that sank Alfa in this country. > You know, the obeisance to Federal Auto Pollution Standards. > Hang-on, add-on compliance crap that crippled an engine and a car's > performance. > At that time, Alfa didn't like their sporting image destroyed, so they > said the heck with it. > In addition to which, adhering to US Gov't regulations was not only > quite costly, but it made their otherwise world class flexible and > nimble cars run like crap, so that was it... > > keith > > > The trick is to do it while retaining why the Alfa > > enthusiasts want to buy an Alfa Romeo in the first place. > > > > Godfrey > > > > On Aug 29, 2005, at 6:16 AM, Dario Bonazza wrote: > > > >> Alfa general manager said that many Americans want a V8 engine, hence > >> they must offer it if they want to get good success on the US market. > >> However, native Alfa engines will be offered as well. > >
