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Fiat to return Alfa Romeo to U.S. - FT report
NEW YORK, March 24 (Reuters) - Fiat (FIA.MI) is considering moving production of Alfa Romeo cars and Iveco trucks to the United States and is already talking to U.S. automakers about sharing manufacturing facilities, the Italian car giant's chief executive told the Financial Times.
Such a move would save money for Fiat, which is suffering from the relative strength of the euro against the dollar, and mark a return of the Alfa Romeo brand to the United States after withdrawing it in 1995.
"I've always had the view that we had to produce in America," Fiat's Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Monday, adding that he planned to start North American production of Alfa cars by 2011 or 2012.
He said Fiat is already talking to Detroit's major carmakers about sharing production of Alfa Romeos in the United States.
Representatives of General Motors Corp GM.N, Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Chrysler [CBS.UL] could not be reached for comment on the matter.
Fiat, which recently returned to profit, is also looking to return its Iveco trucks division to the United States and offer the relaunched Fiat 500, Marchionne told the Financial Times. Fiat could not be reached for comment.
Fiat, which has owned Alfa Romeo since 1986, stopped exporting the car to the United States in 1995. General Motors held a stake in Fiat until 2005, when it refused an option to buy the company, paying a $2 billion penalty. (Editing by Gary Hill)
