Alfa Romeo Arese Plant

The Alfa Romeo Arese Plant was a plant area where Alfa Romeo had its head office for more than two decades prior to 1986. After Fiat Group purchased Alfa Romeo in 1986, Arese became one of the assembly plants of Fiat Group. The factory is in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) northwest of Milan. The Arese plant replaced the old Alfa Romeo Portello factory and its construction was started in 1960[1] and took three years and until the end of the 1990s it was the biggest plant of Alfa Romeo covering a very wide area, partly in the territories of Lainate and Garbagnate Milanese. The factory became known as the Arese plant only because the main entrance is in the municipality of Arese.

Alfa Romeo - Centro Tecnico
Alfa Romeo facility

Today the factory is almost totally closed and abandoned, since the Alfa Romeo owners (Fiat S.p.A.) have almost completely moved design and production to other factories inside and outside Italy. The company's final manufacturing activities at Arese ended in 2005 when the Alfa Romeo V6 engine production stopped in Arese.[2]

The few remaining employees (about 500) have often demonstrated against their dismissal. At the moment, most of the factory buildings are abandoned and the local administrations are looking for projects to use the huge area in a proper way, given its location. Arese and the factory are in fact very close to the newest services of Milan town, such as the high speed railway and the new exhibition centre FieraMilano. Several Italian highways pass very close to Arese as well: the A8, the A9, the A4, and the west Milan bypass highway which links to A1 and A7. The Centro Stile Alfa Romeo (design department) created in 1990 was one of the last company activities in Arese, but was moved in summer 2009 to Turin.[3] The last designs made in Arese being the MiTo and Giulietta.[4]

In 2016, the Centro shopping center opened, it is considered among the largest retail stores in Europe as it occupies an area of 135,000 square meters and extends over a GLA (Gross leasable area) of 93,000 square meters for which the commercial gallery was defined the greatest of Italy. In addition to the shopping center, as 2019, is active the Customer Services Center of the FCA Group (call center with about 400 employees). In June 2015 has been reopened the Alfa Romeo Historical Museum and was delivered the renovation of the former test runway. In the past this short track was used to test new car built in the factory, now the small automotive circuit is used by customers of the adjacent motor village dealer.

The Historical Museum
Main article: Alfa Romeo Museum

One of the few activities which are still located in the Alfa Romeo buildings is the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo, which is hosted in a dedicated building of great architectural value. In February 2011, the museum was "closed for renovations", but eventually reopened in June 2015 after extensive renovations.[5][6]

List of cars manufactured
Image Brand Model Production start production stop Note
Alfa Romeo Giulia GT 1963 1976
Alfa Romeo Giulia 1965 1977
Alfa Romeo 1750 1968 1971
Alfa Romeo 2000 1971 1977
Alfa Romeo Alfetta 1972 1984
Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT 1974 1987
Alfa Romeo Nuova Giulietta 1977 1985
Alfa Romeo Alfa 6 1979 1986
Alfa Romeo 90 1984 1987
Alfa Romeo 75 1985 1993
Alfa Romeo 164 1987 1997
Autobianchi Y10 1992 1995
Alfa Romeo GTV and Spider 1993 2000 in 2000 the production was moved at the Pininfarina plant in San Giorgio Canavese (Turin)
Fiat 600 Elettrica (VAMIA) 1998 2000 fitting an electric motor and batteries of cars coming from the Fiat plant in Tychy (Poland)
Fiat Multipla Metano (VAMIA) 2000 2002 Install gas systems on vehicles coming from the Fiat plant in Mirafiori (Turin)

References
  1. "25.02.2005 The news this week that Alfa Romeo are to cease engine production at the famous Arese factory in Milan". italiaspeed.com/2005. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  2. "News 25.02.2005". italiaspeed.com. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  3. "ARESE, ADDIO". quattroruote.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  4. "Alfa Romeo to close Milan style centre and lay off workers". eurocarblog.com. Archived from the original on 2009-06-21. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  5. "Alfa Romeo - È ufficiale: a ottobre partono i lavori per la riapertura del Museo di Arese". Quattroruote.it. 2014-07-29. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  6. "Alfa Romeo, parte il grande rilancio: nuovo marchio, riapre il museo di Arese" (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-05-20.
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