A video published by the YouTube channel Rev Nation has been circulating on the web in recent days, showing an Alfa Romeo dealership in the United States with various cars inside, open to the public but without any salespeople: where have they all gone? This is a question that naturally arises, because I believe no one has ever entered a car showroom and walked around everywhere without encountering any employees. For this reason, the video in question has aroused the curiosity of many.
Alfa Romeo: a video shows an open dealership in the United States, but without staff: is it a bad sign?
The dealership is Southern Auto Group, which sells numerous Stellantis group cars, including Alfa Romeo. Some people contacted the dealership in question, and a salesperson responded that they usually spend the day at the Jeep stand in the same building, as there are more sales opportunities. In simple terms: “If no one comes in to buy an Alfa Romeo, what am I doing there all the time?”
Alfa Romeo could launch the Junior in the United States, as announced a few weeks ago by CEO Jean Philippe Imparato, although it doesn’t seem to be the most profitable moment for the Biscione brand in the US: will a compact SUV be able to win the hearts of motorists in the second most important market in the world?
According to sales data published by goodcarbadcar, up to June 2024, 4,752 Alfa Romeos were sold, for an average of about 800 cars per month, a low figure in line with the numbers for 2023, but below previous years.
Everyone now knows that the Italian brand is struggling in America, and also in Europe as shown by Dataforce data, but the fact that an open dealership is completely empty, without any staff, seems almost like science fiction to us. The problem is that the sector crisis in the United States would be affecting all Stellantis brands, including Alfa Romeo.
Numerous American dealers of the group reportedly signed a letter sent to the company’s top management to denounce that the historic brands are facing a “rapid degradation” due to “short-term decisions” that have reduced market share.
“For over two years, the Stellantis US National Dealer Council has been sounding the alarm to your US executive team, warning that the path you had set for Stellantis would be a long-term disaster,” the group stated in the letter. “A disaster not only for us but for all involved parties, and now that disaster has arrived.”
These are very harsh words that testify to the situation in the United States for Stellantis brands, particularly for historic American brands like Jeep and Ram. The company replied saying that market share has increased by 0.7 points on a monthly basis while sales are up 21 percent: who will be right?