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CEO says Volkswagen's buying spree is over

After adding Italian motorcycle icon Ducati to its stable and spending $5.6 billion on the rest of Porsche, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn says he's done shopping for a while.
"We have enough to do at the moment in taking our twelve brands to where we want to be," Winterkorn tells German newspaper Handelsblatt.

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider lives to see 2020 and gets an Italia special edition

Alfa Romeo is launching a limited run of special-edition 4C Spider sports cars for the U.S. Called the 4C Spider Italia, only 15 of these cars will be built. Before you get up in arms about how exclusive and impossible to find this will be, consider Alfa 4C sales numbers. All of seven were sold in January, and 2018 saw 238 cars find owners. So, perhaps the limited numbers aren't that limiting. The 4C Spider Italia is essentially a $5,000 appearance package. It takes the standard 4C Spider (the coupe was discontinued in the U.S. last year) and then covers it in an exclusive blue paint called Misano Blue Metallic. Then, the front air intake and rear diffuser are finished in piano black. You also get a "4C Spider Italia" sticker for the side of the car that looks properly Italian. On the inside, there's an aluminum dashboard insert designating this car as the special edition model, and the center console has a plate with the exact number it is in the 15-car run. And that's it. Our brains most recently associate the "Italia" designation with Ferrari, but this package does nothing to bring it closer to the incredible 458's performance. You'll get the same 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque from the little turbocharged four-banger. Perhaps the best news out of this special edition car is that it's a 2020 model year. Alfa announced this car and confirmed the 4C Spider will continue at least through 2020. Even with the only option being a dual-clutch automatic transmission, the 4C is one of the most barebones, pure driving experiences you can get in a new car today. Its continued existence is only a good thing for us sports car enthusiasts. With the $5,000 tacked on to the base price, a 4C Spider Italia will run you $73,495, including destination charges. Alfa says orders for the special edition car will open up in the second quarter of 2019. Related video:

Alfa Romeo to gun for Jag F-Type with 6C

It has taken Alfa Romeo years of promises to finally, truly return to the US with the 4C sports coupe and its initial 86-dealer network. We already know that the sporty Italian brand has more models on the way in near future, with a midsize sedan, crossovers and more headed our way according to the company's five-year plan. Now, the latest rumor from an unnamed source speaking to Auto Express, claims that Alfa has another, more powerful sports car on the slate to take on an even higher rung of performance vehicles, cars like the Jaguar F-Type. The so-called Alfa Romeo 6C would launch as a coupe with the twin-turbocharged V6 engine from Maserati Ghibli (which makes 404 horsepower in that application) and a convertible would join the lineup later. The Alfa's platform would come directly from the Maserati Alfieri, which is supposed to launch in 2016. In terms of styling, the insider describes the new coupe as closer to the earlier 8C Competizione than the 4C. That suggests a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, plenty of gorgeous curves and the brand's long-lived shield grille flanked by LED headlights up front. Auto Express' source claims a 2017 launch date for the new range, and that could fit in Alfa's already-announced product plan. In its five-year forecast, the company said a specialty car would join the ranks from 2016-2018. At the time, we assumed this would be the sibling to the next-gen Mazda MX-5 Miata. However, the Italian end of the project was more recently reported to be in doubt, with thoughts that the codeveloped model may end up wearing a Fiat badge. The 6C could be an interesting alternative if the project comes to fruition. Featured Gallery 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C: First Drive View 43 Photos News Source: Auto ExpressImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Seyth Miersma / AOL Design/Style Rumormill Alfa Romeo Maserati Coupe Performance