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Is Alfa Romeo Owned by Ferrari?

No. Alfa Romeo is owned by Stellantis N.V., while Ferrari is an independent, publicly traded company (Ferrari N.V.). Although both brands once sat under the broader Fiat umbrella and still share a common major shareholder (Exor), Ferrari does not own Alfa Romeo. Below is the context behind the relationship, how ownership has changed over time, and where things stand today.

Who Owns Alfa Romeo Today?

Alfa Romeo is a brand of Stellantis N.V., the global automaker formed in 2021 by the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Groupe PSA. Stellantis also includes brands such as Peugeot, Citroën, Opel/Vauxhall, Jeep, Ram, Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, and Maserati. Alfa Romeo’s product planning, investment, and strategy are overseen within Stellantis, not by Ferrari.

What Is Ferrari’s Corporate Status?

Ferrari operates as Ferrari N.V., an independent company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Borsa Italiana. It was spun off from FCA in 2016 and is not part of Stellantis. Exor, the Agnelli family’s holding company, is the largest single shareholder in both Ferrari and Stellantis, but the two automakers are separate entities with distinct boards, strategies, and financials.

Key Ownership Milestones

The following timeline highlights how Alfa Romeo and Ferrari arrived at their current corporate structures and why they are independent of one another today.

  • 1910: Alfa Romeo is founded in Milan, Italy.
  • 1933: Italy’s state holding company (IRI) takes control of Alfa Romeo.
  • 1986: Alfa Romeo is sold to Fiat Group, bringing it into the same corporate family that also held a stake in Ferrari.
  • 1969–1988 (Ferrari context): Fiat acquires 50% of Ferrari in 1969 and later increases its stake to 90% after Enzo Ferrari’s death in 1988.
  • 2014: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is formed; Alfa Romeo becomes an FCA brand, while Ferrari remains a subsidiary of FCA’s broader structure.
  • 2016: Ferrari is spun off from FCA and becomes independent (Ferrari N.V.).
  • 2021: FCA merges with Groupe PSA to create Stellantis; Alfa Romeo becomes a Stellantis brand. Ferrari remains separate.

Taken together, these milestones show that while Alfa Romeo and Ferrari were once “sister brands” under the Fiat sphere, Ferrari’s 2016 spin-off and the 2021 creation of Stellantis left them as distinct companies with no ownership ties between them.

How Are Alfa Romeo and Ferrari Connected Today?

Despite the lack of ownership, there are historical and technical links that often cause confusion. Here is what connects—and separates—them.

  • Common heritage under Fiat: For decades, both brands were part of Fiat’s portfolio, fostering collaboration and shared engineering expertise.
  • Major shareholder overlap: Exor is the largest shareholder in both Ferrari and Stellantis, but it manages separate interests, and the companies operate independently.
  • Engineering influence: Alfa Romeo’s high-performance 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 (Giulia/Stelvio Quadrifoglio) is widely characterized as Ferrari-derived, reflecting shared know-how from the Fiat-era ecosystem. That influence does not imply ownership.
  • Motorsport history: Enzo Ferrari ran Alfa Romeo’s racing operations through Scuderia Ferrari in the pre-war era before founding Ferrari as a carmaker in 1947. More recently, Alfa Romeo’s Formula 1 presence (as Sauber’s title partner) ended after the 2023 season—unrelated to Ferrari ownership.
  • Separate strategies and lineups: Ferrari focuses on ultra-luxury, low-volume supercars; Alfa Romeo is positioned as a premium performance brand within Stellantis, with distinct products and pricing.

These links underscore a shared Italian performance heritage and occasional technical cross-pollination, but they stop short of any corporate control or equity ownership by Ferrari over Alfa Romeo.

Bottom Line

Alfa Romeo is owned by Stellantis. Ferrari is an independent company. They are not in a parent-subsidiary relationship, even though they share historical ties and a common major shareholder.

Summary

Alfa Romeo is not owned by Ferrari. Alfa sits within Stellantis, created from the 2021 FCA–PSA merger. Ferrari has been independent since its 2016 spin-off from FCA. While the two brands share Italian performance DNA, historical collaboration, and Exor as a major shareholder, they remain separate companies with no direct ownership link between them.

Why did Ferrari leave Alfa Romeo?

Alfa Romeo decided to regain full control of its racing division, retaining Ferrari as Sporting Director. After a disagreement with Alfa’s managing director Ugo Gobbato, Ferrari left in 1939 and founded Auto-Avio Costruzioni, a company supplying parts to other racing teams.

Who is Alfa Romeo owned by?

Alfa Romeo is owned by Stellantis, a multinational automotive manufacturing group formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. Before the Stellantis merger, FCA had owned the Italian brand since 2007, following Fiat’s full acquisition of the company in 1986.
 
Key Points

  • Current Owner: Stellantis. 
  • Formation of Stellantis: Created in 2021 when FCA merged with the PSA Group. 
  • FCA Era: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) owned Alfa Romeo from 2007 until the merger. 
  • Fiat Ownership: Fiat Group acquired the company in 1986, beginning a period of revitalization for the brand. 

Which car is called poor man’s Ferrari?

Several cars have earned the “poor man’s Ferrari” nickname over the years, including the Toyota MR2 (especially the SW20 model) for its exotic styling and mid-engine layout, the Pontiac Fiero, the Jaguar E-Type compared to the Ferrari 250 GTO, and the Rover SD1 as a “poor man’s Ferrari Daytona”. The title is given to cars that offer similar aesthetics or engineering to a Ferrari but at a more affordable price point.
 
Here’s a breakdown of some cars called the “poor man’s Ferrari”:

  • Toyota MR2 (SW20): The second-generation MR2 (SW20) is often called the “poor man’s Ferrari” due to its sleek, curvy design, mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, and available turbocharged engine, all of which evoked the exotic sports car experience of a Ferrari at a much lower cost. 
  • Pontiac Fiero: This American mid-engine sports car was also sometimes referred to as the “poor man’s Ferrari”. 
  • Jaguar E-Type: The iconic E-Type has been called a “poor man’s Ferrari 250 GTO,” referencing its stunning design and performance relative to its more exclusive Ferrari counterpart. 
  • Rover SD1: This British car was nicknamed the “poor man’s Ferrari Daytona” for its distinctive styling that some found reminiscent of the classic Ferrari. 
  • Fiat X1/9: The 1981 Fiat X1/9 Bertone was also a candidate for the “poor man’s Ferrari” label, though its reputation for costly maintenance was also noted. 

Is Alfa Romeo a sister team of Ferrari?

From then, the Scuderia Ferrari became the acting racing team of Alfa Romeo when the factory released to the Scuderia the up to date Monoposto Tipo B racers. In 1935, Enzo Ferrari and Luigi Bazzi built the Alfa Romeo Bimotore, the first car to wear a Ferrari badge on the radiator cowl.

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