Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili was created in June 1910. The Arese plant, opened early in 1963 and it was the largest. Arese plant had about 22,400 employees in 1974. In 1986, Alfa Romeo was sold to FIAT by IRI due to economic problems. One year later employees went down to 16,000. In 1997 the number of workers dropped below 4,000. The production of cars closed in 2000 (with the GTV model) and until 2002 were carried out work on the assembly and installation of parts produced elsewhere.

Since 2013 there is an ongoing project aimed at the recovery of the areas that once housed the body of the largest automotive factory. In place of the disused warehouses will arise a shopping center and a parking for ten thousand cars for the near Expo 2015 site's visitors.