Press Release

Alfa Romeo Under New
Ownership as of April 1st

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TATA MOTORS ADDS ALFA ROMEO TO ACQUISITION OF JAGUAR AND LAND ROVER,
PROMISES MINIMAL CHANGES IN COMPANY’S DIRECTION

MUMBAI, INDIA (April 1, 2008) ### In a statement released today, Tata Motors Vice President of Sales & Marketing Ravi Pisharody confirmed rumors circulating in the automotive community that the company would augment its purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover with the acquisition of the legendary Alfa Romeo marque, in a deal that becomes effective immediately.

Many have wondered about Tata’s rationale for purchasing Alfa Romeo, a seeming misfit for the company’s direction. When asked for clarification, Mr. Pisharody explained that Tata’s new Nano (a $2500 60 MPG "People’s Car") will allow its owners to drive reliably for pennies per mile; Jaguar will allow its owners to ride reliably in quiet splendor; and Land Rover will allow its owners to reliably climb 45-degree inclines. The company needed a model line that would keep its service technicians employed, and Alfa Romeo more than filled the bill.

Mr. Pisharody also alleviated concerns that some devoted Alfa Romeo fans (known as "Alfisti") had expressed regarding the brand’s identity, stylishness, and performance. Naturally, with any change in ownership, some differences are inevitable, but Tata plans to minimize their impact. The changes currently being implemented include:

• Since "Alfa Romeo" is unpronounceable in Hindi, the marque’s name will be changed to Alwar Rampur, the enchanting city in royal Rajasthan where production will take place. Alwar Rampur is famous for its forts and palaces, tie-dyed clothing called Bandhini, hand-woven saris, and marble sculptures. Hence, the aura of style and passion will be retained, and the change from "Alfa Romeo" to "Alwar Rampur" in all of the company’s products, logos, and literature will be visually imperceptible to the public.

• Because of the esteem in which bovines are held in India, Alwar Rampurs will, of course, no longer be manufactured with leather seating. Instead, customers will be given several material options, primarily colorful tie-dyed Bandhini and plaid-like Madras (which should be popular demographically, since so many current and potential owners of the marque came of age in the ‘60s and ‘70s). It’s unclear whether the material will be sewn onto the
Alwars’ seats or draped around them, sari-style.

• In conjunction with the above, the antiquated "Cross and Serpent" emblem will be replaced by the exciting new "Cow and Cross", and will henceforth be used on emblems and in company literature.

• Service on new Alwar Rampurs will no longer be performed by local dealerships. Instead, customers will be asked to call a special Toll-free Engineering and Technical Support (TEATS) number, where they’ll be connected after navigating through a few levels of voice mail to a specialist at the Tata Tech Support facility in Bangalore. This enhancement will improve customer satisfaction from the level experienced by current Alfa Romeo owners to that experienced by all personal computer users over the past several years.

###

EDITOR’S NOTE:  In recognition of and respect for the transition to new ownership, our newsletter’s name will henceforth be changed from Velocissima to Jalipranaya ("love of speed" in Hindi), and our club’s logo correspondingly modified, commencing with the current issue (see this month's cover page).Tiny Quadrifoglio

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