Alfa Romeo could be sold through Mini Dealers in North America

It’s a long-known fact that Alfa Romeo is planning a return to the North American market soon, and it’s pretty much certain to happen by the end of the decade if not a bit later. But setting up shop for the Italian premium automaker looked to be difficult; first it appeared as if Ferrari and Maserati dealerships would take on the role of selling Alfas, however a recent industry alliance between BMW and the Italian automaker has provided a potential solution.

The two automakers appear to be working together on a new compact front wheel drive platform called “Project 940”. This will act as Fiat’s next-generation Punto subcompact for Europe as well as the next generation Alfa Romeo Mi.To, which is destined to be sold in North America as Alfa’s entry-level vehicle. Mini will also benefit from the platform; it will be used to underpin the third-generation Cooper and its derivatives. By sharing similar components, engines and developing the vehicles together, Fiat and BMW will save both time and money.

Strengthening this agreement, according to a Fiat statement, is that BMW Group may give Fiat a helping hand when launching Alfa Romeo in North America. The agreement could see Mini dealerships being offered the opportunity to sell Alfa Romeos, which would help standalone Mini dealers improve their total sales volume, attracting more customers. With an established and more widespread dealer market, it would also give Alfa Romeo the coverage it needs, not to mention a trendy and upscale environment to sell the Italian automobiles.