2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo Giulia is the sexiest starlet in LA

Generally, there's a fair amount of debate about what the best-looking car at any given auto show may be. We, however, humbly submit that for the 2015 LA Auto Show, there's no point in arguing – it's the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Here on US soil for the first time, the troubled Italian brand unveiled the stunning sedan that will herald Alfa Romeo's long-awaited return to the North American market. The handsome red four-door is more or less what we've seen before. That means a thundering 2.9-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 that develops 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. No matter where you're from, that qualifies as "a lot." But unlike the Alfa we saw in Milan, there's more to talk about than the top-flight Quadrifoglio model. Alfa let slip that following the fire-breather's arrival, the sedan would also get a more modest 2.0-liter turbo, capable of producing 276 horsepower. Following that, all-wheel drive will join the options list alongside standard rear-wheel drive. We've got a fresh batch of live images of the stylish Italian. Have a look, and then scroll down for a refresher on Alfa's original press release. Related Video: Created With the 'Mechanics of Emotion,' the All-new 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Delivers Italian Style With Benchmark-level Performance and Precision to the Premium Mid-size Sedan Segment - Built in Italy, the Giulia Quadrifoglio Delivers Class-leading 505 Horsepower, 0-60 in 3.8 Seconds and a Record-setting 7:39 Nurburgring Lap Time – the Fastest Ever by a Four-door Production Sedan - Alfa Romeo – the heart and soul of the automotive industry – is returning to the U.S.

Audi rumored to buy Alfa Romeo, officials deny it

For more than two years, Volkswagen has been making public statements about its willingness to buy Alfa Romeo and quadruple the Italian brand's sales, and for just as long, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has replied with some version of "Mr. Piëch, drop it." According to a report in Ward's Auto, all that jousting might be over: it claims that sources close to both Marchionne and Audi CEO Rupert Stadler admit that the two are in talks for Audi to buy not just Alfa Romeo, but a production plant in Italy. In fact, a final deal could possibly include partsmaker Magnetti Marelli.
Against that backdrop, a report by German news weekly Stern quotes a Fiat spokesmen as saying it doesn't comment on rumors and an Audi rep has said flatly that "There is no substance in the news." If a sale is being arranged, the timing would seem to point to how eager Fiat is to raise cash to complete its major initiatives. Even though Alfa Romeo continues to delay its return to the US, it just showed off the production version of the 4C at the Geneva Motor Show (shown above) and said that preferred Fiat dealerships here would get them. Then there's Alfa's recently concluded deal with Mazda to develop a roadster based on the next generation MX-5 Miata - a deal that would seem to help both the Italian and Japanese brands.
The monetary issues are troublesome, though. Fiat is taking a beating in the European market and its weak-kneed balance sheet is delaying gotta-have-it products like the Jeep Cherokee. Fiat has been talking to banks about getting money to buy the rest of Chrysler and those financial institutions have also raised issues about debt and cash reserves, and the nasty game of chess Fiat is playing with the United Auto Workers (and now the court system about the portion of Chrysler it doesn't own) could end up blowing another hole in Marchionne's plans. It is possible that this could finally have convinced Fiat to at least see how serious Audi's parent company, Volkswagen, is about buying Alfa Romeo. Or it could be just another rumor.

Alfa Romeo considering Ferrari-developed engines for new product lineup

A report in Bloomberg adds more details to the plans for Alfa Romeo's fourth turnaround plan in Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's tenure, and this time Ferrari is apparently going to be part of the show. In December Automotive News Europe reported that a new Maserati-derived rear-drive architecture would be the centerpiece at Alfa Romeo, as well as coming Chrysler and Dodge products. At the time, ANE said the platform would support a new midsize sedan and wagon perhaps to be called Giulia, a fullsize sedan and a midsize crossover, with retail appearance of the product initiative commencing perhaps as soon as next year. It would be part of Fiat's $12.3-billion spend on new models and European recovery.
The Bloomberg report says that particulars haven't been finalized, but the plan is to have six new Alfas appear over the next five years, two of which would be SUVs. The futures of the Mito and Giulietta, two of the three cars Alfa currently sells and 99 percent of sales last year, aren't assured, meaning that the lineup in six years could be seven cars (including the 4C), six of which we haven't any definitive clue of yet. The top-tier versions of those cars, according to the report - perhaps the Quadrifoglio Verde - "will be equipped with motors developed by Ferrari."
Marchionne wants to get sales up to 300,000 units per year when the lineup is complete, pairing Alfa sales with Jeep's global dealer network to open up the retail channel. That kind of volume would get Fiat's Italian plants back in business properly, even though Marchionne's stance on Italy-only Alfa production would mean the end of the anticipated roadster that was to be twinned with the coming Mazda MX-5 Miata. Alfa's direction will be laid out in Detroit in May as part of the overall strategy presentation for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.