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Alfa Romeo unveils Formula One car for new season

MONTMELO, Spain — Alfa Romeo has unveiled the new Formula One car that will be piloted by former champion Kimi Raikkonen this season. Raikkonen, teammate Antonio Giovinazzi and team principle Frederic Vasseur posed with the white-and-burgundy Alfa Romeo C38 in the pit lane of the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit before preseason testing started on Monday. Alfa Romeo is the rebranded name for the Sauber team this season. Raikkonen joined Alfa Romeo from Ferrari, where he won the Italian team's most recent drivers' title in 2007. The 39-year-old Finn is joined by Giovinazzi, a 25-year-old Italian with two Grand Prix races under his belt. Sauber finished eighth in the constructors' standings last year. More AP auto racing

Alfa Romeo 4C priced at $53,900* in US, gains 342 pounds vs Euro version

We're out in California driving the Alfa Romeo 4C as we write this – which is the good news. The bad news is that we can't offer up any driving impressions of the car for another few days. On the other hand, we can provide a few interesting non-driving-based tidbits from the launch program, with which to further enlighten you about Alfa's upcoming "compact supercar" (that descriptor comes direct from Alfa CEO Harald Wester, for what it's worth). So, for starters, the price. When Matt Davis drove the European-spec 4C in the fall of last year, he guestimated that the starting price for the US would hover around $55,000. As it turns out, that was a pretty good guess. Eventually, the starting bill on a 4C will be $53,900, plus a significant $1,295 for destination, netting out to $55,195 out the door. That price might sound inline with what you'd expect for an Italian quasi-supercar, but it's not likely what you'll actually pay if you buy one. We're told that $62k to $65k will be the sweet spot for 4C sales in the US. What's more, if you simply have to have a 2015 model, you'll have to pony up a healthy $69,695 (that's including destination), for one of just 500 examples of the launch edition that will be sold here this year. In addition to a serialized plaque that will certify your historic purchase, the launch edition cars get the larger optional wheels in a dark-finish, the sport suspension, sport exhaust, and some other bits and bobs. Finally, while we're happy to report that the curb weight of the feather-light 4C will stay below the magical 2,500-pound mark (2,495 lbs., wet), it has still gained some 342 pounds versus the European-spec car. The added weight is down to a beefier carbon-fiber tub and additional US safety equipment. It's also fair to mention that the ultra-light European model was arrived upon thanks to a homologation rule with the EU, that (among other things) will limit 4C sales on the continent to just 1,000 units per year. We'd expect that to evolve as the model stays on sale. Stay tuned for our full review of the car, thick carbon-fiber and all, early next week.

Alfa Romeo goes hatchback-free after axing the Giulietta

Alfa Romeo exited the hatchback segment by ending production of the Giulietta, a Volkswagen Golf-sized model introduced in 2010. It's planning on filling the void in its range with a city-friendly crossover in the coming years. Honored with a heritage-laced nameplate, the Giulietta made its debut in Milan as Alfa Romeo celebrated its 100th birthday. Executives considered selling it in the United States but decided to keep it on the other side of the pond, though its basic platform underpinned the short-lived Dodge Dart. In its home country, the hatchback was positioned as a premium model that reflected the firm's upmarket ambitions. It slotted beneath the Giulia. Stylists made several visual tweaks to the Giulietta during its 10-year life cycle, and they managed to keep it looking relatively fresh. It's a different story inside, where the 2020 model feels about as old as it is. Alfa Romeo's earlier hatchbacks — including the 147 — spawned high-performance variants that still raise eyebrows several decades after their launch, but the Giulietta never received the full go-fast treatment. Over the course of its production run, engine options ranged from a 104-horsepower 1.4-liter turbo four to a 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbocharged to 240 horsepower. Front-wheel-drive was the only configuration offered. Over 400,000 units of the Giulietta were manufactured in Italy between 2010 and 2020. The final example was made shortly before Christmas, according to French website Caradisiac. We don't know what it looks like or where it's off to. Alfa could choose to put it in its collection, or it might send it to an unsuspecting dealer. The news comes a couple of weeks after news that the slow-selling Alfa 4C Spider was among the cars that won't be coming back in 2021. Alfa Romeo Tonale View 9 Photos What's next? Rumors claimed Alfa Romeo would develop a rear-wheel-drive successor to the third-generation Giulietta built on a shortened version of the Giulia's platform. Had it been launched, this model would have undoubtedly become the enthusiast's choice in its segment, especially because the BMW 1 Series went front-wheel-drive. We don't know if the reports were accurate, but what's certain is that a new Alfa Romeo hatchback is not around the corner. Instead, the Giulietta's spot in the range will soon be occupied by the production version of the Tonale concept (pictured above) introduced during the 2019 edition of the Geneva auto show.