Chrysler dealers to meet in Detroit to hear Fiat pitch | detnews.com

So the real news in this story is that Fiat will require Chrysler dealers to have a separate facility for Fiat (and future Alfa Romeo) sales. This is good strategy. The Chrysler target customer and the Fiat customer are two very distinct individuals, and I’d imagine there is little crossover (no pun). I have to believe that this is also to position for the re-introduction of Alfa Romeo in 2012.  If they have committed dealers the Fiat and Alfa may have a chance in the USA. Maybe the Fiat 500 introduction later this year is a way for Fiat to get their feet on the growing before the much bigger effort needed to launch Alfa Romeo.  

By requiring the capital investment in a separate facility they take a big step towards making sure that the dealers who are adding the brand are fully committed to it’s success.  This was a mistake made in the 1990s and it is good to see that at least they have learned that lesson.  Now it will be interesting to see the marketing commitment and effort from Fiat that will actually persuade buyers to purchase one. 

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Auto detailing done right is tedious and challenging work. This is a fine example of how a master completes a job. Certainly a few tips can be gleaned from how a sixty (!) hour job was required to clean up this stunning Ferrari F40. Personally I use products from GriotsGarage.com but there are certainly other great quality suppliers out there. The key is in how the products are used. Learn the process and the products are really secondary. Man does that red look fantastic…

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Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: John S
Film: Ina’s 1969

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Vespa in Lucca, Italy

July 3, 2010

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone Lens: John S Film: Ina’s 1969 Posted via email from mlstephens’s posterous

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Ducati racing short film shot with the iPhone 4

July 3, 2010

Video from a Ducati motorcycle race team, shot entirely with the iPhone 4 using 8 phones and the very cool Bubo iPhone camera mount. The cost of making a high-quality video just keeps dropping. Check out iphone4filming.com for information on the skills needed to pull this off, though. Its not all about the hardware, its [...]

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Alfa Romeo at 100

June 19, 2010

via news.google.com “Yet if it is Alfa Romeo for whom the birthday cake has been baked, it seems a lot of Americans do care — particularly the enthusiasts, collectors and racing fans who hold that Italian marque especially close to their hearts. Young people, whose Alfa exposure has mainly been to rusty 1980s convertibles on [...]

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Alonso: Ferrari is too far away

May 30, 2010

Alonso: Ferrari is too far away http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84032 “The points are good. Logically we wanted more but we were third in the championship, now we are fourth so we are still there. “We don’t have the fastest car, and yet we are one point ahead of Vettel, so we aren’t doing too bad.” Clearly the driver [...]

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Ancient Alfas at Goodwood – Classic Driver

May 28, 2010

Ancient Alfas at Goodwood – Classic Driver Classic Driver Ancient Alfas at GoodwoodClassic DriverRediscovered in the 1970s and restored to how it had been, it now lives in Alfa Romeo’s Centro Storico. There’s plenty of whining when it starts up, … Posted via email from mlstephens’s posterous

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Volkswagen Buys Majority Stake in Italdesign Giugiaro

May 28, 2010

Volkswagen Buys Majority Stake in Italdesign Giugiaro The Volkswagen Group has bought a 90.1-percent stake in Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A. The new partnership between the German automaker and the storied Italian design works will see Italdesign taking on a bigger role in styling future Volkswagen products, beginning with the forthcoming Volkswagen Up! Founded in 1968 in [...]

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Austin: Mixed reactions

May 26, 2010

Austin: Mixed reactionsAs news of the United States Grand Prix being hosted in Texas finally begins to sink in, it has been revealed that three sites are under consideration for the purpose built permanent road track. However, reaction to the news is mixed. Posted via email from mlstephens’s posterous

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