Arna 1983-1986 - when Italy makes common cause with Japan
Summary
There have been around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of which have disappeared. One of these vanished brands is Arna, which, although only founded in 1983, has already fallen into oblivion. This is also due to the fact that the car produced jointly by Alfa-Romeo and Nissan in Italy was not successful and is already rarer today than some collector's gems. The line was drawn in 1986.
Estimated reading time: 3min
Preview (beginning of the article)
Arna stood for Alfa Romeo Nissan Automobili, a joint venture formed in 1980. It enabled the state-owned company Alfa Romeo to create more jobs in southern Italy. From 1983, the Arna bodies were produced in a plant built in Pratola Serra near Avellino, while the front-wheel drive mechanism of the Alfasud (1186 cc boxer engine, 63 hp) was assembled in the nearby Alfasud plant in Pomigliano d'Arco. Arna's annual output was to be limited to 60,000 units, and Italy's imports of Japanese cars remained restricted to 2000 units. This was in response to opposition from the political opposition and Fiat.
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