Alfa Romeo's flagship 169 sedan is scheduled to replace the ageing 166 in 2009, but conflicting speculation has suggested that the luxury sedan could be based on either a stretched 159 chassis or on the upcoming Maserati Quattroporte successor. The latest reports coming out of Italy suggest it'll be sharing with the larger trident rather than the smaller Alfa.
The Fiat Group that dominates the Italian automotive industry has traditionally kept their brands separate, refusing to share most components, let alone platforms, in a bid to keep the marques distinct from each other and steer well clear of the increasingly popular trend of badge engineering. But in recent years, that trend has been reversing even in Turin. Maseratis started sharing components with Ferrari and now with Alfa Romeo, Fiat has been partnering with PSA and Suzuki on new models, and an upcoming Alfa hatchback will be based on the Fiat Punto. So with Maserati still lagging in profitability and Alfa trying to regain its prestige, it's no wonder they've decided to go this route for the upcoming 169 and Quattroporte sedans.
Together with the thrilling 8C Competizione sports car, the 169 marks Alfa Romeo's return to rear-drive after 15 years of horses pulling from the front.
[Source: Winding Road]
London 2008: Honda OSM concept roadster says, "Cheerio!"
London 2008: Lotus unveils the Evora
2010 Chevy Camaro - Official Details and Images
2010 Chevy Camaro - LIVE from the reveal
Volkswagen unveiling two-door Elise fighter in LA, new sports car
First Drive: 2008 MINI Cooper S JCW
In the Autoblog Garage:2009 Nissan GT-R
North American Exclusive First Drive: Alfa MiTo
First Drive: 2009 Kia Borrego
In The Autoblog Garage: 2008 Mercedes SLK55 AMG
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bill Maher is an Idiot @ Nov 23rd 2006 2:57PM
I can't say whether I like the Quattroporte or not. It's ugly and elegant at the same time.
That One Person @ Nov 23rd 2006 3:23PM
It is absolutely stunning in person. I personally get more excited over the Quattroporte than any Bentley, RR or Maybach.
akatsuki @ Nov 23rd 2006 4:12PM
I think that certain elements of the Maserati, when taken in isolation aren't great, but put them together and something magic happens. The thing is by far one of the prettiest cars on the road nowadays...
Steve @ Nov 23rd 2006 7:21PM
Quattroporte is more elegant than Rolls-royce or bentley.
Quattroporte's interior is tastefully designed, unlike bentley or Rolls which are just plastered with wood and leather.
Fat elegance, thats what Rolls is.
Adam @ Nov 23rd 2006 7:48PM
Steve! You were absolutely right!
jean78 @ Nov 24th 2006 3:33AM
IT'S NOT TRUE!Fiat was one of the first automaker to share components with other brands,for example in the 80's FiatCroma/LanciaThema/Alfa164/Saab900 had the same platform!
fragmaster170 @ Nov 24th 2006 7:31AM
I wonder how similiar all of these cars are.
I know that a Maserati Quattroporte transmission is used on ALFA Spiders during a V-6 transplant .
John H Cressy Jr @ Nov 24th 2006 9:48AM
That's not all Fiat,PSA, and Nissan also sell vehicles built by Mitsubishi!
Richard Warren @ Nov 24th 2006 10:52AM
Nice looking Lucerene made in Italy, right down to the ventiports.