In the late 90's Alfa has establish itself as a real competitor for the BMW market with the 156 and 166 models. The Spider and GTV are also exceptional vehicles. Today they are, together with Ferrari, Maserati and Lancia, a part of the Fiat company. (Many of the technical solutions you'll find in a Ferrari, are also often used in an Alfa Romeo). In March 2001, General Motors and Fiat Auto formed a joint venture. Because of this, the next-generation 156, Sportwagon and Spider will be based on GM's Epsilon platform rather than one of Fiat/Alfa's own platforms. Alfa's re-entering the US market will probably start with showing off the next-generation Spider at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2005.