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Marchionne offers belated apology for 'wop engine' comment

Automotive News reports Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has issued a written apology for his comments regarding his decision to stick with an Italian engine for the upcoming Alfa Romeo 4C. As you may recall, back in January, Marchionne was quoted as saying, "I cannot come up with a schlock product, I just won't. I won't put an American engine into that car. With all due respect to my American friends, it has to be a wop engine." The CEO penned an apology to the Italian American ONE VOICE Coalition for using the racial epithet, saying that he made the comment in jest. Marchionne also said he realizes his remarks were unacceptable.
ONE VOICE, an organization aimed at fighting discrimination and stereotyping of Italian Americans, thanked Marchionne, Chrysler and Fiat for the apology. Marchionne is an Italian-born Canadian citizen, and he's gotten in trouble for other comments in the past. In 2011, he called high interest rates Chrysler was paying to the Canadian government "shyster rates." He apologized a day later.

2022 Alfa Romeo GTV leaked image shows high performance coupe

Update: Turns out, the image came from the School of Design Milan and is not a leaked image of the upcoming Alfa GTV. We have since learned the image was of a rendering presented during a class. Alfa Romeo declared it was going to bring back the GTV name with a high-performance hybrid car last summer at its five-year plan conference. We got a teaser then, but now this image has surfaced online, initially appearing on the Italian Club Alfa website. It does indeed have the coupe bodystyle we surmised before. We're getting a grand tourer vibe from the styling right now, especially in knowing Alfa plans on giving the GTV 600 horsepower. The power will most likely come from the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 hooked up to some form of hybrid electric system. We've been told to expect all-wheel drive, torque vectoring and a 50/50 weight distribution for the GTV, along with a short electric-only range. Alfa's Giorgio platform was designed with electrification in mind, so this car will certainly ride on those underpinnings. That's great to hear, because the Giulia and Stelvio are both dynamic standouts in their respective classes. This car's looks looks set to take on other luxury grand tourers like the Lexus LC500 and BMW 8 Series. The GTV is set to be joined by a new 8C supercar with even more horsepower in 2022. That vehicle will also be using a hybrid powertrain. Both these cars are still a few years from production, but we may just see a concept or two at auto shows leading up to their eventual reveals.

2019 Alfa Romeo Giulia gets Nero and Carbon editions

It feels like the Giulia was only recently introduced, but for 2019, the Alfa Romeo Giulia will get a number of updates. While the engine range remains unchanged – the base Giulia and the Giulia Ti continue with the 280-horsepower turbo four and the Quadrifoglio's engine remains the twin-turbo V6 with 505 horses – there are new packages and specifications for the 2019 model year. To begin with, the Giulia Ti Sport gets 19-inch wheels with a five-hole design as standard, and the Quadrifoglio gets a 40/20/40 folding rear seat as standard, with a third headrest. Heated rear seats are also available for all trim levels, and leather is standard. There are new paint colors for four-cylinder Giulias, consisting of two different greys. But the new packages are interesting, as there's now a "Shadowline" style Nero Edizione available for all Giulias. This clothes the Giulias with dark accents on the Scudetto grille, mirror caps, headlamp bezels, window trim, exhaust tips and wheels. For some model lines, brake calipers are available in red, black or yellow. In addition to Nero Edizione, another new package is the Carbon. It's only available for the Ti Sport and Quadrifoglio, and on the Ti Sport it lays everything full of carbon fiber from the grille to the side skirts, and adds a leather-wrapped dashboard. For the Quadrifoglio, the Carbon is an exterior package, which gives the car a carbon grille, mirror caps and badge. Related Video: Image Credit: FCA Alfa Romeo Luxury Performance Sedan alfa romeo giulia