Alfa Romeo has scaled down work at its Style Centre in Arese, with employees going on extended leave for seven weeks. However, it’s unclear whether this is a temporary hiccup or a permanent closure.

Fiat has not officially confirmed reports, but Alfa’s design centre may be incorporated into a new Fiat Group centre in Turin. The centre was build two years ago and the move would be part of company strategy.

Arese is a symbolic location for Alfa, being the last place that physically links the brand to its roots, although it was built only in 1990. It was the home where prototypes such as the Proteo and the Nuvola were created, but especially more iconic models such as the 156 and the 147. The last models born in the centre will be the MiTo and the Milano.

After the end of production for the older Alfa GTV and Spider, the centre was involved exclusively in design projects. The last activity was that of the Fiat Powertrain division with 186 employees, and more than 100 of these will also be laid off.

Work on a new Alfa museum has also been postponed, and if it goes the way of the Arese centre, it will never be completed. It was set to be an avantgarde large exhibition space open for public visits.

Source | Quattroruote

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