New Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Opel dealers appointed for Singapore

SINGAPORE – Global automotive group Stellantis has appointed two new Singapore distributors for three of its brands – Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Opel.

Italian marque Alfa Romeo and American brand Jeep will be distributed by Red Rock & Rosso Motor.

This is a new motor dealership set up by businessman Goh Kian Sin, who is a shareholder of Didi Lifestyle, a motorcycle dealership with brands like Triumph and Vespa in Singapore.

Red Rock replaces

Capella Auto

, a subsidiary of Komoco Motors, which announced in January that it was quitting the two brands by June.

The distributorship of German brand Opel has been awarded to Motorviva, which also sells trucks from Japanese brand Fuso and Iveco from Italy.

Motorviva is part of Goldbell Group, an established player in commercial vehicle leasing and distribution, and owner of electric car-sharing service BlueSG.

Although Goldbell has distributorship rights for all types of Opel vehicles in Singapore, it is going to distribute only commercial vehicles. It has no plans to bring in Opel’s passenger cars.

Auto Germany

, which has been Opel’s distributor since 2012, had said that it would stop selling Opel vehicles by the end of 2025 or when its existing stock is sold.

These are the latest dealership changes for Stellantis-owned brands in Singapore, after French brand Peugeot was taken over by Cycle & Carriage in February from Vantage Automotive.

Other brands under the global automotive group operating in Singapore include Citroen and Maserati.

From July 1, after-sales service and repairs of Alfa Romeo and Jeep cars will be handled by EuroAutomobiles, the motor dealer that represented Alfa Romeo before Capella Auto took over in 2023. EuroAutomobiles’ workshop will also fulfil any remaining servicing packages under sales contracts after the owners register with it.

In Capella Auto’s letter sent to 152 Alfa Romeo and Jeep owners on June 6, it said the company was discontinuing the distributorship of the two brands from June 30 and Red Rock will be the new distributor from July 1. 

For the relaunch of Alfa Romeo under the new distributorship, Red Rock will be offering three models: the Giulia, Stevio and the compact crossover Tonale. A more mass-market model is expected to be ready for Singapore in the months ahead. The dealer also ordered a few units of the Giulia Quadrifoglio, a 500hp, four-door sports car.

Jeep’s reintroduction will kick off with the Grand Cherokee, which is a large sport utility vehicle. This will be followed by the Wrangler, which is a rugged off-roader, and other models that the dealer has ordered.

Speaking to The Straits Times on June 12, Red Rock’s Mr Goh said the dealership will have its own sales team. Back-end operations including vehicle importation will be handled by Didi Lifestyle. He is targeting for the car brands to have combined monthly sales of around 20 units.

In 2024, there were five Alfa Romeo and 24 Jeep registrations here. In contrast, the two official dealers of German premium brand BMW put 5,042 cars on the road.

Mr Goh wants to take a more “lifestyle approach” to build up the two car brands, working with tenants at Didi Lifestyle’s The Southern Depot, where car owners can gather at a new “brand experience centre” to enjoy the cars after it is ready some time in July.

Nestled among the art galleries and restaurants within Gillman Barracks, near Alexandra Road, The Southern Depot is an event and lifestyle space that opened in 2023. Among the tenants in the colonial-era warehouse today are a gym, a bar and restaurant, and a grill academy which hosts cooking classes.

Other car brands have taken to this lifestyle concept of selling cars in recent years, including Porsche and Audi, which have showrooms in office and retail buildings in town, instead of the traditional “motor belt” of Leng Kee Road near Queenstown. These town showrooms have in-house cafes.

Mr Goh is also managing director of Oriental Castle Group, which has automotive subsidiaries in Malaysia that sell brands including Lexus, Proton and Volkswagen. He is also managing director of Didi Group in Malaysia, which represents a host of motorcycle brands.

For Opel, Goldbell Group chief executive Arthur Chua confirmed that the company will be distributing the German brand’s commercial vehicles as the company is confident that demand for electric commercial vehicles will grow.

Instead of showrooms, the vehicles will be available through Goldbell’s sales network and its leasing arm, bringing the vehicles to the customers’ doorsteps. This is a common practice for commercial vehicles.

In 2024, Opel commercial vehicle sales consisted mainly of electric vans, for which the brand was the third-biggest seller with 156 units, after Citroen (197 units) and BYD (158 units).