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Alfa Romeo 4C to lead new SUV, Giulia sedan on journey to America... when they're ready [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Wed, 04 May 2011 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, SUV, Videos, Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo 4C Concept - Click above to watch the video after the jump

If this story sounds familiar, that's because we've seen it before: Alfa Romeo will arrive in the United States with a sportscar that will spearhead the arrival of a broader range of models. That was the line with the 8C Competizione, but that model has come and gone without its junior stablemates. And when Alfa unveiled the 4C Concept in Geneva a couple of months ago, that was the story once again: not only would it see production, but it would headline the marque's return to the North American market.

Now we've got a few more details, though. Rather than bringing over existing models like the MiTo and Giulietta, Alfa Romeo is hard at work preparing new models specifically for American tastes. One model is expected to be an SUV based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee - leaving us to wonder if this will come instead of, or in addition to Maserati's rumored version. But beyond that is the new Giulia sedan that will replace the 159.

The project was reportedly well under way until the design landed on Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne's desk, prompting him to order a full redesign. Apparently the styling was rather derivative and lackluster. For his part, the company's experienced styling chief Lorenzo Ramaciotti says he and his team are doing the best they can with what they're given: the company's Compact Wide architecture based on the Giulietta's platform, which Ramaciotti says is like designing a suit for a fat lady instead of a model.

The literal "back to the drawing board" order from Marchionne's office may lead to further setbacks, so to keep your interest piqued we've dug up this rather intriguing video of the 4C Concept heading from the studio to the show floor in high speed. At this point, we thought we'd seen concept cars from just about every angle, but this is something different, so why not click past the jump to watch the brief clip for yourself.

Continue reading Alfa Romeo 4C to lead new SUV, Giulia sedan on journey to America... when they're ready [w/video]

Alfa Romeo 4C to lead new SUV, Giulia sedan on journey to America... when they're ready [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 May 2011 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: 2013 Alfa Romeo Spider, 2012 Giulia to be based on RWD Chrysler platform

Noah Joseph — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:31:00 EST

Filed under: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia

Alfa Romeo Spider - Click above for high-res image gallery

According to the comprehensive five-year plan which Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne unveiled today, the next generation of Alfa Romeos are slated to be based on a Chrysler platform.

Among those models will be the replacement for the current Spider, as well as the new Giulia sedan and wagon. These three models - which will replace the outgoing 159, Brera and Spider - were previously thought to borrow their underpinnings from a modified version of the C-segment platform that underpins the new Giulietta, but have now been revealed to be merged into Chrysler platforms, arriving in 2012 (Giulia) and 2013 (Spider). Although Marchionne didn't specify which Chrysler platform this will be, sources suggest it could be a modified version of the antiquated Mercedes-derived architecture that underpins the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Challenger.

In addition to the Alfa's adoption of Chrysler architecture, Marchionne indicated that Chrysler and Lancia are set to be further integrated, with common products (including a new compact minivan and the replacement for the Ypsilon supermini) sold as Lancias in continental Europe and as Chryslers in North America and the UK. With the exception of the Challenger, Charger and Viper, Dodge and Fiat products will be similarly integrated, while Jeep is slated for an increased overseas market presence.

Gallery: Geneva 2008: Alfa Romeo Spider

[Source: Motor Trend]

Report: 2013 Alfa Romeo Spider, 2012 Giulia to be based on RWD Chrysler platform originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan to launch next year?

Noah Joseph — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:54:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Wagon, Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Click above to jump to the online configurator

With the new Giulietta now out in the open, Alfa Romeo's attention is turning to its big brother. Set to replace the 159 sometime next year, the highly-anticipated nuova Giulia promises to improve on the outgoing sedan's lackluster driving dynamics.

Based on Alfa's variable C/D platform, the Giulia is tipped to get a McPherson front suspension with a twin-link rear setup. As with the Alfa 159, the Giulia is expected to be front-drive, with the trick Q4 all-wheel-drive system available as an option, hooked up to a variety of turbodiesel and MultiAir gasoline engines.

Unlike the MiTo and Giulietta, both of which are hatchback-only, the Giulia promises both four-door sedan and five-door wagons as part of the mix. The tantalizing end of the range, however, is tipped to include an in-house GTA model - with at least 300 horsepower, all-wheel drive and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission - and a lightweight, front-drive version with 350 horsepower to be co-developed with famed Alfa tuner Autodelta.

We'll have to wait to see if the speculation proves accurate - and, for that matter, if the car will take its design cues from the 8C Competizione, the Bertone Pandion or the Pininfarina 2uettottanta. But in the meantime, you're invited to tinker around with the online configurator that Alfa just launched for the Giulietta hatchback, where you'll find you can order it in any color you want, as long as it's a shade of gray.

[Source: CAR magazine]

Report: Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan to launch next year? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alfa Giulia coming to America sans MiTo, Milano?

Noah Joseph — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Hatchback, Alfa Romeo

Following the confirmation of Chrysler's tie-in with the Fiat group, images began swirling around our imaginations of the imminent arrival of Alfa Romeo models current and future. That may, according to reports emerging from Italy, prove a little premature. (It happens to lots of guys, we hear). Because while the itty-bitty Fiat 500 is anticipated to hit Chrysler dealers in the near future, the venture may leave the smaller Alfas behind.

A new Alfa Romeo flagship sedan to succeed the discontinued 166 is reportedly planned for North American production, and the Giulia sedan expected to replace the current 159 around 2012 is expected to be on offer Stateside as well. But if the latest reports prove accurate, the current MiTo and its upcoming five-door counterpart, the Milano, could be left back in the Old Country when the Italian family sails for America.

[Source: Motorionline via eurocarblog]

Alfa Giulia coming to America sans MiTo, Milano? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alfa Romeo 159-replacing Giulia delayed until 2012?

Noah Joseph — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:39:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Wagon, Europe, Alfa Romeo

2009 Alfa Romeo 159 - Click above for high-res image gallery

The current Alfa Romeo 159 is a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde affair. Unspeakably gorgeous on the one hand, its aging, Saab-based platform means its dynamic performance doesn't come anywhere close to cashing the checks its aggressive styling writes out. So those enamored of its design will be happy, but those disappointed by its drive will be disappointed, to learn that the 159's replacement has reportedly been pushed back until 2012, thereby giving the current model a little longer to live.

This, according to Alfa's new boss Sergio Cravero - recently promoted after years as communications director following Luca de Meo's departure - in an interview with Italian daily La Stampa. The statement contradicts previous reports that the new sedan, dubbed Giulia in revival of the classic nameplate, was being rushed into development in light the current model's poor sales. Sources suggest - and by sources, we mean our own speculation - that the program has been postponed so that it can be integrated with a Chrysler platform, and could, like the replacement for the 166, be built in North America.

Gallery: 2009 Alfa Romeo 159

[Source: La Stampa]

Alfa Romeo 159-replacing Giulia delayed until 2012? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Alfa favors larger sedan as first salvo in new American push

Dan Roth — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Fiat

Fiat's plan for re-entry to the U.S. market includes Alfa Romeo, as well as pumping up its Chrysler interests. While Alfa has desirable hatches like the MiTo and the 147, the company thinks it might have the best luck relaunching in the States with its upcoming Giulia sedan. The Alfa Romeo division is a money sink right now for Fiat, and successfully re-entering the US market could open the door to better financials. To make the relaunch of Alfa feasible, the brand is going to have to share with Chrysler.

Chrysler has the LX platform, which could potentially be reworked and used for the new Giulia, is being examined as one way to get an Alfa model launched and built in the U.S. without crushing Fiat with shipping and import costs piled on top of being expensive to build in the first place. The LX is heavier than might be ideal, though it has been engineered to support all-wheel drive, and the rear-wheel drive default of the longitudinal powertrain layout is inherently more sporty if tuned properly. Alfa's got its own platform, the C-Evo, which could be bulked up to underpin the Giulia, and it, too, is a front-engined, RWD layout that could potentially bring an appropriately athletic feel.

Neither platform is exactly perfect - both are aging, and the competition in the segment is stiff. The futures of Alfa and Chrysler appear to be intertwined, with both brands relying on the same basic hardware to launch new or updated models that need to be successful for Sergio Marchionne's plan for world domination to actually work.

[Source: Bloomberg]

REPORT: Alfa favors larger sedan as first salvo in new American push originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Speculation Rendered Closer: Alfa Romeo 149/Giulia

Noah Joseph — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Europe, Hatchback, Alfa Romeo, Rendered Speculation

European customers have been eagerly anticipating the replacement for the aging Alfa Romeo 147. Tentatively referred to as the 149, the new five-door hatchback, tipped to receive a new nameplate outside the three-digit numeric designation, will be positioned slightly above the three-door MiTo hatch. As with the new MiTo, styling is expected to borrow the themes laid out by the 8C Competizione, which should translate better to the increased dimensions of the 149/Giulia over the more cartoonish looks of its smaller sibling.

Expect a range of gasoline and diesel engines, which could be topped by a 265-horsepower GTA version. Sources now suggest the 149 will be unveiled in a bit over a year from now at the Frankfurt show for market roll-out anticipated in late summer 2009, and will spearhead the new "C-Evo" platform based on the underpinnings from the Fiat Bravo and Lancia Delta.

[Source: OmniAuto.it]

Speculation Rendered Closer: Alfa Romeo 149/Giulia originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poor sales mean Alfa 159 replacement coming soon with U.S. in sight

Noah Joseph — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Wagon, Alfa Romeo

Click to view the Alfa 159 in hi-res from Geneva '08

The Alfa Romeo 159 may be one of the most beautiful sedans on the market, but that hasn't been enough to make the model a sales success. As we learned after driving the new MiTo, Alfa isn't satisfied any longer to glide by on its name and looks alone, and so has started work on the replacement for the 159 even though the current model was only introduced in 2005.

The main reason attributed to the 159's poor market performance has been its dynamic performance, inhibited by an overweight chassis designed by Saab during Fiat's partnership with GM. Its successor is tipped to be based on the same platform as the upcoming 149, however, which still means front-wheel-drive. With the numeric designation running out of room to grow, the 159 replacement is widely reported to revive the classic Giulia nameplate, with styling cues borrowed from the curvaceous 8C instead of the angular Brera. Sources suggest that the new sedan, anticipated for debut in 2010, is being developed specifically with the American market in mind.

Gallery: Geneva 2008: Alfa Romeo 159 & 159 Sportwagon

[Source: Autocar]

Poor sales mean Alfa 159 replacement coming soon with U.S. in sight originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rendered Speculation: 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulia to replace 159

Noah Joseph — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Europe, Alfa Romeo, Rendered Speculation

Alfa Romeo's marketing people have been bouncing around the idea of ditching the current three-digit numbering system and proceeding with a nameplate nomenclature. The shift - already in place on some models and not on others - could increase the appeal of certain models even more, while helping them avoid a crossroads that will inevitably come up when models like the 159 need to be replaced.

Italian magazine Quattroruote has come up with a composite image of what it thinks that vehicle could look like. Unfortunately the results are rather cumbersome, essentially Photoshopping the nose from the MiTo onto the existing 159 body. The rear-end rendering is not much better, but intriguingly appears to carry a New York State license plate. While the existing 159 remains one of the most striking mid-size sedans on the market, we hope its successor - speculatively reviving the Giulia nameplate of old - will look a heck of a lot better than this.

[Source: Quattroruote via CarScoop]

Rendered Speculation: 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulia to replace 159 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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