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Maserati CEO says new Alfieri will finally make Geneva in 2020

Maserati's long-delayed Alfieri will be shown at Geneva a year from now, says company CEO Harald Wester. The Alfieri will be the model to replace the GranTurismo coupe, the production of which is expected to end later this year as Maserati's Modena plant is overhauled and retooled for the new car. Autocar reports that Wester placed the Alfieri's reveal for Geneva 2020, but that series production will not begin until 2021-2022. Earlier reports had timed the Alfieri pre-production to begin in early 2020, in time for Geneva. The Maserati lineup will be significantly updated in the near future, and will feature extensive electrification, from mild hybrids to fully electric vehicles. "Any product we touch or make will have significant electrification," Wester told Autocar. "The main launches for new products are in 2021-22, and by the end of 2022 we will have a completely new range. For each and every lineup, we will have a full battery electric version. Not only that but at least one." Future models will also include updated versions of Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante. The Alfieri was originally shown as a concept in 2014, but the delays have forced the 2008-introduced GranTurismo to soldier on. When the Alfieri finally comes, however, it will do so as a PHEV, a mild hybrid and a full electric version. Maserati is also adamant it will build electrified sports cars profitably. "Maserati is one of the few brands who can sell cars at the cost and reality of the technology and still make money," said Wester. Related Video:

Only best-performing US Fiat dealers to get Alfa Romeo franchises

Alfa Romeo has been rumored to return to the US market so many times for so many years, it's hard to keep count. This time, though, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne promises that it's for real. Alfa is scheduled to reappear in the States this summer with its 4C sports coupe as its introductory model. However, buyers won't be able to pop into just any Fiat showroom and leave with a 4C – it's planning to only sell Alfas at its best-performing dealers, according to The Detroit News. In fact, the first 4Cs sold here won't be sold at Fiat dealers at all. Instead the first shipment of cars in June will go to Maserati dealers, not unlike the handful of Alfa 8C Competizione coupe and convertible models that trickled in starting in 2008. According to Fiat Chrysler spokesperson Rick Deneau, the company is still deciding which Fiat retailers will participate in Alfa's reentry. Many of Fiat's US dealers are apparently not happy with the meritocracy approach. They built Fiat showrooms partially on the promise that Alfa would enter the US market in 2012, then 2013, and now later this year. Even worse for them, the prospects for more mainstream Alfa Romeo models in the US are still questionable. This isn't the first time that we've heard that Fiat plans to keep Alfa Romeo exclusive in the US. Still, Fiat only plans to export about a 1,000 4C sports coupes a year here. If Alfa wants to be a legitimate player in America and be a money-making concern globally, it will need far more sales than that. Featured Gallery 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C: First Drive View 57 Photos News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Matt Davis / AOL Earnings/Financials Marketing/Advertising Alfa Romeo Fiat Maserati Coupe Performance Sergio Marchionne alfa romeo 4c fiat dealers

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