1974 Alfa Romeo Spider on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo 6C could return in 2020

Keep your salt shaker handy, because you might need a grain or two for this rumor, as scrumptious as it may be. According to German tuner Pogea Racing, Alfa Romeo is planning to revive the 6C nameplate, with a production launch in 2020. The company posted its inside info on its Facebook page, citing "an absolute trustworthy and legit source" who is "very deep into the decisions of the management of Alfa Romeo." According to the post, we can expect to see the Alfa Romeo 6C introduced at one of the major auto shows in 2018 or 2019. If true, the rumor is exciting, but not totally surprising. FCA is growing its investment in the Italian brand, along with its lineup. We've already learned of Alfa's plans for an SUV larger than the Stelvio, which could offer seven seats and a mild hybrid system. The addition to the lineup of what we could assume to be a coupe larger and more expensive than the Alfa Romeo 4C, and meanwhile bringing back a classic nameplate, doesn't seem farfetched. After all, we've heard similar rumors before, with the 6C reportedly planned as a competitor to the Jaguar F-Type. Under the hood, the Giulia Quadrifoglio's 2.9-liter twin-turbo aluminum V6 — good for 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque — seems like the perfect fit for the 6C. The 6C nameplate has roots in six-cylinder road and racing cars beginning in the 1920s. To see it revived after decades of hibernation would not only be interesting for fans and potential customers, it would be symbolic of the company's continued growth under the FCA umbrella. Related Video:

Fiat brings raft of special-edition hatchbacks to Geneva

The annual Geneva Motor Show presents a prime opportunity for any automaker – European ones especially – to show off new metal. You'd figure that would include the sprawling Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group, but instead, one of Europe's largest automakers will be presenting a series of special-edition hatchbacks for the European market. Yeah, we're as disappointed as you are. First up is the Fiat division itself, which will be showcasing the Vintage '57 edition of the 500 and the Panda K-Way. The former puts an even more retro spin on the already-retro hatchback, with a two-tone pastel blue-and-white exterior, 16-inch white-and-chrome wheels and a tobacco-leather interior. The latter was designed in collaboration with the famous rainwear label, K-Way, and features mix-and-match exterior color combinations, titanium-finish trim and a specially crafted interior. Alfa Romeo will be celebrating the European debut of the 4C Spider we already saw in Detroit. In terms of new debuts, Alfa also has the elegant Collezione edition of the Giuletta and the MiTo Racer edition with gray and brown trim that looks, at first blush at least, much more subtle than the name would convey. Though no longer a major player in the Fiat portfolio, Lancia is showcasing the 30th Anniversary and Elle editions of the Ypsilon – the car that in its own words, "Italian women love more than any other." Jeep is showing the Renegade with new powertrain options, and Abarth has updated its range of 500-based hot hatches, but for something new and exciting, it looks like we'll be passing right by the Fiat section at the Geneva Palexpo this year. Related Video: Featured Gallery Fiat Group special editions for Geneva 2015 News Source: Fiat Geneva Motor Show Alfa Romeo Fiat Lancia Hatchback 2015 Geneva Motor Show alfa romeo mito fiat panda alfa romeo giulietta lancia ypsilon

China-FCA merger could be a win-win for everyone but politicians

NEW YORK — Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne has said the car industry needs to come together, cut costs and stop incinerating capital. So far, his words have mostly fallen on deaf ears among competitors in Europe and North America. But it appears Marchionne has finally found a receptive audience — in China. FCA shares soared Monday after trade publication Automotive News reported the $18 billion Italian-American conglomerate controlled by the Agnelli family rebuffed a takeover from an unidentified carmaker from the Chinese mainland. As ugly as the politics of such a combination may appear at first blush, a transaction could stack up industrially, and perhaps even financially. A Sino-U.S.-European merger would create the first truly global auto group. That could push consolidation to the next level elsewhere. Moreover, China is the world's top market for the SUVs that Jeep effectively invented, so it might benefit FCA financially. A combo would certainly help upgrade the domestic manufacturer; Chinese carmakers have gotten better at making cars, but struggle to build global brands, and they need to develop export markets. Though frivolous overseas shopping excursions by Chinese enterprises are being reined in by Beijing, acquisitions that support the modernization and transformation of strategic industries still receive support, and the government considers the automotive industry to be strategic. A purchase of FCA by Guangzhou Automobile, Great Wall or Dongfeng Motors would probably get the same stamp of approval ChemChina was given for its $43 billion takeover of Syngenta. What's standing in the way? Apart from price (Automotive News said FCA's board deemed the offer insufficient) there's the not-insignificant matter of politics. Even as FCA shares soared, President Donald Trump interrupted his vacation to instruct the U.S. Trade Representative to look into whether to investigate China's trade policies on intellectual property. Seeing storied Detroit brands like Jeep, Chrysler, Ram and Dodge handed off to a Chinese company would provoke howls among Trump's economic-nationalist supporters. It might not play well in Italy, either, to see Alfa Romeo and Maserati answering to Wuhan instead of Turin — though Automotive News said they might be spun off separately. Yet, as Morgan Stanley observes, "cars don't ship across oceans easily," and political considerations increasingly demand local manufacture of valuable products.