► CAR speaks to the new boss of Alfa Romeo
► The man tasked with moving Alfa forward
► Don’t be ‘too romantic,’ he says…
‘I think that we have an unbelievable story and glory if you look at our past. So what I’m imagining for the future, and also for the present, is that we need to find the right position in the market, starting from our legacy.’ Santo Ficili is the man tasked with taking Alfa Romeo into the future but the 58-year-old CEO has an interesting history of his own.
Born in Turin, he did his national service in the Carabinieri – Italy’s impeccably dressed national gendarmerie – and began his automotive career as a Fiat service advisor in his city of birth.
Over the next 38 years, he rose through the ranks and now oversees everything Alfa Romeo and Maserati. He knows the brands inside out, but does Ficili believe there’s a danger Alfa relies too heavily on its – admittedly vast – heritage and legacy?
‘I don’t want to become too romantic, looking at the past, you know? But this [the heritage] is a fact that we need to keep in mind. Based on a unbelievable legacy of this brand, starting from this, we need to work in the present with the range we have. And for sure, we need to look ahead, considering the evolution of new models that we will prepare for the future.’
Those new models can’t come a moment too soon. Alongside the ageing Giulia and Stelvio, the Tonale is ‘doing the job’ but the Junior – the marque’s first EV – is already up to 54,000 orders. But what counts as success for the brand as a whole?
Facili errs on the side of realism. ‘I’m not imagining to deliver millions of cars. What is important to me is to cover the space of our firm – and we see space. For example, we have 350 car clubs worldwide. Alfa Romeo is a global brand, it is the only premium brand that we [Stellantis] have.’
But if the brand is so strong and far reaching, why doesn’t Alfa Romeo sell more cars – even if we’re not talking millions? For Ficili, there’s one clear area that he feels needs addressing, and given his background it’s not a surprising one.
‘We need to have the right network. I’m always repeating that we need the right dealers, not only to sell the car, but also to serve our customers in the aftersales activity in the workshops.’ Ficili adds: ‘If you ask me “Are you satisfied about the performance?” I think that there is always something to do better. For sure, we can. We can do better now.’
Get this right and Ficili is confident. ‘The sky is the limit – this brand gives us the possibility to invent everything we want.’
James heads up our automotive video activities in the UK and is responsible for video on CAR magazine. Usually found in front of camera, he is also an amateur race driver and has tested most of the supercars that matter over the last few years. James also contributes reviews, videos, news and advice across our sister website Parkers.co.uk.
Head of automotive video for CAR magazine, its sister website Parkers.co.uk and Motorcyle News.