????對于到了一定年紀的賽車迷和影迷們來說，阿爾法-羅密歐( Alfa Romeo)讓他們想起的是1967年達斯汀?霍夫曼在電影《畢業生》（The Graduate）中扮演的那位迷茫、為情所困的年輕人本杰明?布萊德克駕駛的1600蜘蛛敞篷車。

????但對于新合并的汽車公司——菲亞特克萊斯勒（Fiat and Chrysler）的CEO塞爾吉奧?馬爾奇奧尼而言，阿爾法-羅密歐代表的是一個有待兌現的美好諾言，即根據這兩家公司的復興計劃，把這個意大利奢侈品牌引入美國市場。

????周二，馬爾奇奧尼將在克萊斯勒總部奧本山進行一次大型公開演示，預計將披露阿爾法重返美國市場的更多信息、公布詳細的5年投資計劃、車型推出以及銷售預測。克萊斯勒2009年破產后制訂的第一個5年計劃已基本完成。身為菲亞特CEO，馬爾奇奧尼菲亞特帶領這家公司以接近于零的成本收購了美國汽車制造商克萊斯勒。

????分析師們將聆聽、關注菲亞特克萊斯勒的高管言行，希望搞清楚這家公司還要多久才能把年銷量提高到600萬臺或以上。600萬臺大關是幾年前馬爾奇奧尼給出的、作為一家全球汽車生產商的經濟可行性下限。今天，這個門檻可能已提高。去年，菲亞特克萊斯勒合計銷售汽車440萬臺。預測咨詢公司IHS預計，它到2018年銷量將達到500萬臺。這家合并后的汽車生產商將于今年晚些時候掛牌上市。

????CEO馬爾奇奧尼出生于加拿大。此人雖然不無缺點，但在維系這家汽車公司的生存和發展方面確有功勞。這家公司一方面受到克萊斯勒和菲亞特這個兩個弱勢品牌的拖累，一方面又有Jeep和Ram這兩個超強品牌撐門面。馬爾奇奧尼是一個干勁十足、咄咄逼人的管理者。據獵頭稱，他經常把年輕下屬累垮。克萊斯勒在美國的汽車銷量已連續49個月保持增長。他維持了銷量增長，保證了公司不會被淘汰出局。

????周二的重要看點可能包括吉普Renegade的推出，這款次緊湊的運動型多用途汽車預計將在這個全球快速增長的細分市場中卷起一股強勁旋風。另一個看點將是這家汽車制造商計劃加大開拓中國市場的努力。中國是全球最大、也是增長最快的汽車市場之一。

????馬爾奇奧尼已承諾將在美國引入自4C蜘蛛起的6款阿爾法車型。最近的一些車展上，4C蜘蛛已經開始作為概念車進行展示。AutoPacific分析師戴夫?沙利文表示，相比市場地位已經穩固的德國、日本和美國奢侈品牌，阿爾法面臨一場“登山戰役”。

????由于奢侈車型相比主流車型利潤豐厚，這些車型在產生收入以及在整個車系間分攤先進技術的開發投資成本方面具有重要意義。在上個5年計劃中，馬爾奇奧尼預測阿爾法將于2012年登陸美國，到今天在全球的銷量應該達到500,000臺。去年，這個品牌的歐洲銷量僅略高于64,000臺。

????For sports car and cinema fans of a certain age, Alfa Romeo will evoke the 1600 Spider convertible driven by Benjamin Braddock, the confused and lovesick young man played by Dustin Hoffman in the 1967 film The Graduate.

????For Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of the newly merged Fiat and Chrysler automobile companies, Alfa Romeo symbolizes an unkept promise, namely to introduce the Italian luxury brand in the U.S. as part of the revitalization of both companies.

????Marchionne, in a major public presentation today in Auburn Hills at Chrysler headquarters, is expected to disclose more about Alfa's eventual arrival, as well as a detailed five-year plan of investments, vehicle introductions, and sales forecasts. Chrysler largely made good on its first five-year plan, conceived in the wake of the automaker's 2009 bankruptcy. As chief executive of Fiat, Marchionne led Fiat's purchase of the U.S. automaker for nearly nothing.

????Analysts will be listening and watching Fiat Chrysler executives carefully to learn how soon Fiat Chrysler Automobile NV (FIATY) might be able to sell 6 million or more vehicles annually. That threshold is the one Marchionne identified several years ago as the minimum for economic viability of a global automaker, and that total might be higher today. Last year, Fiat and Chrysler jointly sold 4.4 million vehicles. IHS, a forecasting consultancy, sees sales of 5 million by 2018. The merged automaker will be incorporated and listed as a public company later this year.

????The Canadian-born CEO deserves credit, despite a few shortcomings, for maintaining the viability of an automobile enterprise that is slowed by two weak brands, Chrysler and Fiat, and sustained by two very strong ones, Jeep and Ram. He is a driven and hard-driving executive who, according to headhunters, pushes younger subordinates to the brink of exhaustion. Chrysler's streak of monthly sales gains in the U.S. has reached 49 months. He keeps posting gains and, as such, keeps his company in the game.

????The bright spots to be highlighted likely will include introduction of the Jeep Renegade, a subcompact sport-utility vehicle that's expected to compete vigorously worldwide in one of the fast-growing product segments. Another will be the automaker's plans to ramp up its efforts in China, the world's biggest market and one of the fastest-growing.

????Marchionne has promised six Alfa models in the U.S., starting with the 4C Spider, which has appeared recently at auto shows as a concept. Dave Sullivan, an analyst for AutoPacific, says Alfa will have an "uphill battle" against better established German, Japanese, and U.S. luxury brands.

????Because luxury models are highly profitable compared to mainstream counterparts, they're vital for generating revenue and for providing a way to spread the investment cost of developing advanced technologies across the entire spectrum of vehicles. Under his last five-year plan, Marchionne forecast that Alfa would reach the U.S. in 2012 and be selling 500,000 units worldwide by now. Last year, the brand sold just more than 64,000 in Europe.