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Upcoming Alfa Romeo CUV called the Stelvio, Marchionne says

Alfa Romeo will call its forthcoming crossover the Stelvio, and the Italian brand will finally put the often-postponed CUV on sale in Europe in early 2017, according to Auto Express citing FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne. We probably won't see it in showrooms here until at least spring or summer next year. The vehicle's name references the famously curvy pass through the Alps in Northern Italy, which evokes a model with sharp handling and rapid acceleration. The Stelvio uses a modified Giulia platform, and the two models should share powertrains. Standard versions would likely get a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which makes 276 horsepower in the sedan. However, the common parts make a Quadrifoglio version of the CUV possible, packing the hottest Giulia's 505-hp 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, according to Auto Express. Alfa Romeo hasn't teased the Stelvio's design yet, but FCA designer Ralph Gilles posted a photo on Instagram that might have been a hint. The picture showed fellow designer of Lorenzo Ramaciotti in the back of an unnamed crossover. The dashboard, which you could see in that shot, had a distinct similarity to the Giulia. The shot didn't show much of the exterior, but you could barely make out the narrow taillights. Alfa Romeo has had serious problems launching vehicles on time recently, and the Giulia sedan and Stelvio should have been ready by now. The four-door was originally supposed to arrive in late 2015, but Marchionne said assembly would finally begin on March 14, according to Auto Express. The sedan has allegedly had problems passing internal crash tests, but Alfa officials vehemently denied this claim. The brand also delayed the CUV by several months from the original plans. The automaker now asserts that six more models are on the way by 2020, but the company doesn't seem capable of living up to those promises. Related Video:

The new Alfa Romeo Giulia needs to be a BMW beater

The introduction of the Alfa Romeo Giulia as a BMW challenger is a claim that historically has meant that it will not be as good as a BMW. Mercedes, Audi, Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac, and a few others have tried to loosen BMW's grip on the sports sedan market with little success. It was BMW that was doing the copying when in the early sixties they looked to Alfa Romeo's sport sedans for inspiration. Alfa Romeo's pre-war racing pedigree was second to none, and series production Alfas were sporting twin cam engines, and fuel injection years before BMW. What the post-war Alfa cars did not offer was reliability and an North American dealer network that knew how to service or sell their products. Consequently in 1995 Alfa abandoned the US market. Now it is the Alfa Giulia taking aim at the BMW 3-series. The Fiat/Chrysler group has a lot of resources (think Ferrari), and the engineering chops to beat BMW at its own game, but it will take a long time to build a reliable dealer network, not to mention the quality issues that have dogged them for decades. Alfa will follow what has become a familiar recipe to challenge the 3-series. With 3 sets of trim available, the most affordable model, the Giulia, and further upscale, Giulia ti, both with a turbocharged 4-banger and 276 HP compares favorably with the BMW 328i and the Audi A4. The 505 HP Giulia flagship is shooting for the M4/3. Good luck with that, Alfa. A delayed introduction hints of troubles to come. Unfortunately for Alfa both the Audi A4 and BMW 3-series have millions of dedicated fans, most of whom do not have to be reminded about their automobile's pedigree. Millennial have never had the chance to aspire for an Alfa, and the older generations that still remember them are only a very small share of the market. Alfa has to avoid joining the automotive graveyard of models that have tried to attain BMW's status. Just to be cruel I will mention the Cadillac Cimarron. If you are too young to remember, it was the cheapest Chevy front wheel drive platform with a Cadillac badge. Panned by both GM management and the automotive press, it was a spectacular flop. I hope that the executives of the Fiat/Chrysler group remember it well. We do not need a Fiat in a stylish suit.

Green-on-green Alfa Romeo 8C-based Disco Volante Spyder listed for sale

There is no unwritten rule that states an Alfa Romeo must be red, and there is no secret decree that claims an Italian car can't wear British Racing Green. Proving both of these points with aplomb is this rare 2019 Alfa Romeo 8C-based Disco Volante Spyder, which is finished in green with a green interior and listed for sale in Switzerland. Offered by exotic car dealer Niki Hasler, this Disco Volante Spyder is the fourth of seven examples built by Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera. When the model made its debut in 2016, we reported that each of the seven cars would be painted in a different color, and our consumer editor Jeremy Korzeniewski wrote that he hoped one would be painted green like an earlier coupe shown at a Geneva show. His wish has come true. British Racing Green works quite well on the retro-styled lines, which were penned as a modern interpretation of the original Disco Volante built in 1952. The person who ordered this Disco Volante also asked for a matching green interior upholstered in a combination of leather and Alcantara. Touring Superleggera added a plaque between the seats to remind occupants of the car's rarity, but most of the parts that the driver sees and interacts with come straight from the 8C Competizione. It's all Alfa under the hood, too. Touring made no major mechanical modifications to the Disco Volante, so it's powered by a Ferrari-derived, 8C-sourced 4.7-liter V8 engine that delivers 450 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via a six-speed automated-manual transmission. The 2019 example listed for sale in Switzerland has covered 16,000 kilometers, which represents approximately 10,000 miles, so it hasn't spent its life as a garage queen. It recently received new tires and new brakes, according to the dealer. Unmodified, it's equipped with a useful lift system for the front axle; we can't imagine the front splitter is cheap to replace if it loses a fight with a speed bump. As a bonus, this Disco Volante comes with a matching luggage set. Niki Hasler hasn't published pricing information, so we don't know how many organs you'll need to sell before you can add this Disco to your collection. It won't be a bargain, however. Seven units were built with Alfa's blessing, so it's rare enough to make even the standard 8C, which was limited to 1,000 units globally (split evenly between coupes and convertibles), look common.