Last Friday, a boat was docked in Naples ready to take around 200 Alfa Romeo Tonales to Japan and Australia. Instead, customers there will be waiting at least another 45 days for the next boat to depart as Alfa boss Jean-Philippe Imparato put the blockers on releasing the cars from the nearby Pomigliano plant because of a quality issue over just one part.

“It was a microchip on a headlight,” he said. “We could pass it on. I could have sent the parts by plane. But no. Do it, you’re dead.”