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Alfa Romeo could introduce a new model in June

While the automotive industry's collective attention is turned towards the 2020 Geneva Motor Show opening in March, Alfa Romeo is also looking forward to the party it will throw in Milan, Italy, to celebrate its 110th birthday. The city-wide festivities will culminate with the unveiling of a mysterious new model, according to a recent report. Thousands of Alfisti from all over the world will convene in Milan on June 24 to commemorate the milestone, and Italian website MotoriOnline learned Alfa will take advantage of the media coverage to organize its own mini auto show. The publication added the model we'll allegedly get a preview of will be either a crossover or a coupe. Both are intriguing propositions. While enthusiasts would undoubtedly prefer to see a born-again GTV, or a follow-up to the 8C, sales figures clearly demonstrate the crossover body style is popular all over the world with no risk of falling out of style, and Alfa's only take on it is the Stelvio. The yet-unnamed model that could break cover in Milan will be about the same size as the Jeep Renegade, the Fiat 500X, and the Mini Countryman, among other city-friendly soft-roaders. This positioning rules out the production version of the Tonale concept introduced during the 2019 Geneva show; besides, it's expected to appear at this year's edition of the event. Little would prevent Alfa from using the platform found under the aforementioned Renegade and 500X, as all three carmakers are under the same umbrella, but MotoriOnline speculated the firm's third high-rider will be the first Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) product built on a PSA platform. If that's accurate, it signals Alfa will unveil a concept car, not a production model, because the tie-up between the two giants hasn't even been finalized yet. The second option floated by the publication is a heritage-laced two-door developed as a tribute to emblematic past models, like the Duetto and the GTV. While that's plausible, especially considering the event will be a anchored to Alfa's illustrious history, the chances of one day seeing it in showrooms are low because executives gave two-door models the boot when they put together the firm's latest product plan in late 2019. Crossovers remain an essential component of Alfa's future range, however, and the aforementioned product plan clearly states a small SUV will join the range in 2022, a year after the Tonale, with an available electric powertrain.

CAR adds details to Alfa Romeo's five-year plan

Much of this month's issue of CAR Magazine is devoted to Alfa Romeo and what we can expect from it in the next five years. Of course, they unfortunately went to print before FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne died (and it took a while for it to land in my mail box), so certain elements are bound to change in light of new leadership. Nevertheless, there are plenty of interesting tidbits to chew on. First, there are a few more details regarding the Alfa Romeo 8C super car, which was confirmed during FCA's recent five-year plan announcement. Unlike the last front-engined, rear-drive 8C, the new one would be mid-engined with the rear wheels powered by a version of the Quadrofoglio turbo V6 brought up to the 600-horsepower range, and some amount of electrification added to the front axle. CAR indicates a total output of around 800 hp and 660 pound-feet of torque. A carbon fiber monococque would help keep the weight down, and to keep cost down, reporter Georg Kacher posits its production will be farmed out to a third party like Dallara. Both pricing and performance will be interesting with the 8C: how much does FCA want Alfa Romeo to compete with Ferrari? Without Marchionne leading both, perhaps it won't matter. View 19 Photos Then again, how much it wants Alfa to compete with Maserati might, as the future Giulia-based GTV coupe could do just that. Apparently, the coupe and convertible range is intended to compete with the entire breadth of the German two-door catalogue, from 4 Series and M4, to C- and E-Class Coupes. Presumably it'll therefore be more than just a Giulia coupe. Regular, high-performance and plug-in hybrid versions are mentioned. Finally, as was part of the previously announced five-year plan, there will be SUVs introduced on either side of the Stelvio. Apparently, it was originally thought that the smaller of the two would be produced on the cheaper Renegade/500X platform, but that has been nixed in favor of the Giulia's "Giorgio" platform to maintain a higher degree of engineering sophistication. If so, good call. The bigger of the two new Alfa SUVs would also be on the platform, and since it's been rumored that the next Jeep Grand Cherokee will be as well, it'll be interesting to see how similar those two mid-size SUVs will potentially be. There are many more Alfa insights from CAR, but as it's restricted to print and not on their website, we can only urge you to swing by your local magazine rack and pick up the latest issue. They do good stuff.

NHTSA, IIHS, and 20 automakers to make auto braking standard by 2022

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and virtually every automaker in the US domestic market have announced a pact to make automatic emergency braking standard by 2022. Here's the full rundown of companies involved: BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo (not to mention the brands that fall under each automaker's respective umbrella). Like we reported yesterday, AEB will be as ubiquitous in the future as traction and stability control are today. But the thing to note here is that this is not a governmental mandate. It's truly an agreement between automakers and the government, a fact that NHTSA claims will lead to widespread adoption three years sooner than a formal rule. That fact in itself should prevent up to 28,000 crashes and 12,000 injuries. The agreement will come into effect in two waves. For the majority of vehicles on the road – those with gross vehicle weights below 8,500 pounds – AEB will need to be standard equipment by September 1, 2022. Vehicles between 8,501 and 10,000 pounds will have an extra three years to offer AEB. "It's an exciting time for vehicle safety. By proactively making emergency braking systems standard equipment on their vehicles, these 20 automakers will help prevent thousands of crashes and save lives," said Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said in an official statement. "It's a win for safety and a win for consumers." Read on for the official press release from NHTSA. Related Video: U.S. DOT and IIHS announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles McLEAN, Va. – The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced today a historic commitment by 20 automakers representing more than 99 percent of the U.S. auto market to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on virtually all new cars no later than NHTSA's 2022 reporting year, which begins Sept 1, 2022. Automakers making the commitment are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car USA.