Alfa Romeo return to U.S. confirmed with big ambition, Chrysler will provide pair of CUVs

Italiophiles rejoice! Though the move isn't unexpected, Fiat's Sergio Marchionne has officially confirmed that the Alfa Romeo brand will make a return appearance to the United States starting in 2012.

The first vehicles that should hit American dealerships (of course, we don't yet know where the cars will be sold, but Chrysler's woefully underutilized dealer network would be a good bet...) will be the midsize Giulia, which will come in both sedan and wagon variants, along with a compact SUV built in the States using European Giullietta hatchback underpinnings.

One year later, Alfa plans to begin offering a five-door version of the beautiful MiTo hatchback in the States, which will be joined by a new Alfa Romeo Spider. Could it look something like the 2uettottanta concept from Geneva? Someone get Dustin Hoffman on the phone pronto.

Moving on to the 2014 model year, Alfa will redesign its compact Giullietta hatchback and send it to America. A second, larger SUV will show up in the same year and will be built in America using architecture borrowed from the next-gen Jeep Liberty.

There was plenty more news coming from the Fiat camp today. Stay tuned for a much more comprehensive breakdown of the Italian automaker's far-reaching plans for the next several years.

[Source: Fiat]