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Sergio Marchionne wants Alfa Romeo back in F1

It's been decades since Alfa Romeo has competed in Formula One. But if Sergio Marchionne gets his way, it could make a comeback soon. Now we know what you might be thinking: Alfa Romeo and Ferrari are both part of the same Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group, so why would Marchionne want two brands competing against each other in such a costly racing series? Because technically speaking, Ferrari is no longer part of FCA, that's why. They share mostly the same owners and are run by the same person (Marchionne), but the Prancing Horse marque recently split off from its former parent company and floated its own shares on the stock market. That makes it a separate entity, and also means that FCA no longer has a direct link to F1. But its chief executive clearly thinks the investment is worthwhile. Marchionne has been known to state grandiose plans, but he's also been known to carry through on many of them. So the next question is, if the plan goes through, just how Alfa Romeo might participate in F1? Some automakers (like Mercedes) field their own teams, others (like Honda) compete as engine suppliers, and still others (like Infiniti) as branding partners. Alfa could go either route, but Marchionne told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport that "Alfa Romeo is able to make itself a chassis, and it is able to make engines." Of course, that doesn't mean that it necessarily will. It could outsource a chassis from a constructor like Dallara, which is located near the same Varano circuit that Alfa uses regularly. It could also source an engine from its former sister company: Marchionne floated the possibility of starting a separate engine program in Maranello for Red Bull when it was hunting for a new engine partner, and could ostensibly do the same for Alfa Romeo. "In order to re-establish itself as a sport brand, Alfa Romeo can and must consider the possibility of return to race in Formula 1," said Marchionne. "How? Probably in a collaboration with Ferrari." Alfa Romeo first competed in F1 in the early 1950s, winning the world championship two years running in 1950 with Giuseppe Farina (scion of Pininfarina) and 1951 with Juan Manuel Fangio. It then dropped out, only to resurface as a full constructor team between 1979 and 1985, with limited results. It also supplied engines to an array of teams in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s.

2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia get revamped trims and pricing

After a major interior and infotainment update last year, the 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia get a more mild update consisting of a smaller trim lineup and a couple of extra features for some trims. The update also includes small price increases across the board. Four new colors are available, too, including Ocra GT Junior, Verde Montreal, Rosso GTA and Rosso Villa d'Este. The first two of those are shown in the galleries. Available trims have dropped from seven to four, with a couple of them simply becoming option packages for the remaining trims. The base trim is now called Sprint, a callback to Alfas of the past. Standard equipment for this trim is unchanged, including standard 10-way power adjustable leather seats, 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, remote start, proximity key and automatic emergency braking. As such the price only increases by $50 to $40,745 for the Guilia and $42,745 for the Stelvio. All-wheel drive is a $2,000 option on all Giulias and the Stelvio Sprint. Higher trim Stelvios get all-wheel drive standard. 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio View 14 Photos The Ti and Ti Sport get the most additional standard equipment over last year's versions. They now get dual-pane sunroofs, navigation and HD radio. The Ti Sport also picks up a standard limited-slip rear differential. The Giulia and Stelvio Ti increases in price by $1,300 to $43,995 and $48,395 respectively. The Giulia Ti Sport price goes up by $1,500 to $47,195 while the Stelvio Ti Sport sees a $2,000 increase to $51,595. The Quadrifoglio trim, with its twin-turbocharged V6 is unchanged for 2021. It does get a $250 price increase with the Giulia starting at $76,345 and the Stelvio at $82,345. Related Video:

Is Alfa Romeo readying 4C Spider for Detroit reveal?

The 2015 Detroit Auto Show just keeps looking like one of the best automotive events in the Motor City in years, and it seems increasingly likely that we're going to see another sports car reveal there with the production Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. The latest hint towards the unveiling of the Spider comes from FCA's own blog. In a story about the first customer deliveries of the 4C Launch Edition, the last sentences nearly let the cat out of the bag: "Alfa Romeo plans to introduce eight new models by 2018. You'll get your next Alfa fix at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January." Just looking at the roofline of the 4C, it's pretty clear that a convertible was in the cards from the very beginning. Alfa confirmed that with the Spider concept (pictured below) at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, and reaffirmed the drop top in the company's five-year plan. Further evidence for the fast approaching debut came recently when a fully production-spec 4C Spider (pictured above) was spotted being professionally filmed in Spain. It sported some changes over the concept, including a cooling inlet on the driver's side rear fender and exhausts at the corners, instead of the center. Related Gallery Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Concept: Geneva 2014 View 13 Photos Related Gallery Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Design Preview News Source: Objects in the MirrorImage Credit: Carscoops, Related images copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL, Alfa Romeo Design/Style Rumormill Detroit Auto Show Alfa Romeo Convertible Performance FCA 2015 Detroit Auto Show alfa romeo 4c alfa romeo 4c spider