Alfa Romeo's Return to the United States Delayed

TURIN, Italy — Fiat has once again delayed the return of its Alfa Romeo brand to the U.S. market, this time to 2011, because of deteriorating economic conditions in North America.Fiat originally planned to begin selling Alfa Romeo again in the U.S. in 2007, but kept changing the date — first to 2008, then to late 2009 and, earlier this year, to 2010.Now, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has bumped the date back again, telling analysts late last week that 'it would be simply crazy investing for returning Alfa in such a depressed U.S. market,' according to a report in Automotive News.Alfa walked away from the U.S. market in 1995 as quality plummeted and sales dwindled.Inside Line says: It's not exactly the best time to launch a line of premium Italian sports cars in North America. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent