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Alfa Romeo is bringing something deliciously loud to Geneva

Alfa Romeo will risk running afoul of Switzerland's engine noise regulations by bringing something deliciously loud to the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. The preview video it posted on Twitter asks more questions than it answers. The seven-second flick announces that Alfa Romeo, one of Italy's oldest automakers, is about to make "a momentous comeback." It displays the company's logo, notes the location of its booth in the Palexpo convention center, and ends on the sound of what we're pretty sure is a V6 engine exploring the upper echelons of its rev range. There's no mention of which car the six-cylinder is in, let alone whether it's new or updated. sound on See you at #GIMSSWISS. #AlfaRomeo pic.twitter.com/yIUPYEiTkj — Alfa_Romeo (@alfa_romeo) February 22, 2020 This is where facts end and speculation begins. Alfa planned to expand its range with a two-door version of the Giulia that would have resurrected the GTV name and a flagship sports car tentatively called 8C, but both models were allegedly canceled in 2019. The 4C is nearing the end of life cycle, so the odds of seeing a new variant of it are low. Besides, its engine bay is far too small to house a six-cylinder engine like the Giulia's 2.9-liter unit. Before the teaser video emerged, we expected Alfa's next new model would be the production version of the Tonale concept unveiled at the 2019 edition of the Geneva show. The crossover is well on its way to production, and its front end has changed quite a bit in the past 12 months, but we don't think it will reach showrooms with a race car-like exhaust note; electrified technology will likely make it one of the quieter members of the Alfa lineup. This leaves us with two credible possibilities. First, rumors of a more powerful Giulia positioned above the Quadrifoglio model have floated around the internet for years and they plainly refuse to die. It would likely wear the heritage-packed GTA nameplate and arrive as a more track-oriented sedan in the vein of Mercedes-AMG's Black Series cars. If that's the case, expect copious carbon fiber, a stripped-out interior, and a full body kit. Second, Alfa could simply kick off its 110th birthday celebrations in Geneva by showing a concept built to mark the occasion. We'll know for sure when the show opens its doors to the press on March 3. Related Video:     Geneva Motor Show Alfa Romeo Luxury Performance

The troubled Alfa Romeo Giulia needs serious help [UPDATE]

UPDATE: An Alfa Romeo US spokesman responded to this article with the following statement: The safety concerns expressed in the story are false. The all-new 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia is designed and engineered to meet or exceed all federal safety regulations. The Alfa Romeo Giulia will begin production for the North American market in the late second-quarter of this year. Alfa Romeo will have a full product portfolio of premium vehicles that includes plans for (8) all-new Alfa Romeo vehicles by 2020. The product launches are prioritized by segment volumes starting this year with the Alfa Romeo Giulia production for North America starting in late Q2, followed by the Midsize-UV – the 2nd largest premium segment in North America. Even on the day you dragged them kicking and screaming and gesticulating wildly to a table full of concrete evidence, Alfa Romeo executives will never admit the Giulia program is going through a tough patch. But it is. Reports say the Giulia, on the eve of production, didn't just fail one internal crash test, but failed the front, side and rear impact tests. Alfa denies it. Automotive News published a report last week saying two suppliers had insisted the Giulia, on the eve of production, didn't just fail one internal crash test, but failed the front-, side-, and rear-impact tests. A third supplier source told us the same thing. Alfa is denying it. It was due on sale in Europe late last year and was supposed to be here in the next month or two. But it wasn't, and it won't. It was to be headlined by a twin-turbo V6 that reportedly howled its way around the Nurburgring 14 seconds faster than the BMW M3 could manage. That second part is only true if you believe it's fair to compare a full lap in a standard BMW M3 with a favorable accumulation of sector times to a development prototype Giulia with 220 pounds stripped out of it and rolling on hand-cut racing slicks. No, me neither. A Promising Start The Giulia's all-new architecture was developed in just two years by a skunkworks of young engineers headed by Fiat's engineering prince, Philippe Krief, and (bafflingly) sited inside Maserati's headquarters complex in Modena, about three hours from Alfa Romeo's own Turin HQ.

You probably won't see FCA's famous Easter eggs on an Alfa Romeo

They started in Jeeps, with images of seven-slot grilles showing up on windshield edges, the text "SINCE 1941" appearing in the clear plastic of headlight units, and a relief map of Moab engraved into a rubber cubby liner. Then a Chrysler got a map of Detroit and the outline of Laguna Seca materialized near the Viper's window switch. We've come to call them Easter eggs, but Klaus Busse points out that they were never really meant to be secrets, just ways to dress up what he calls "dead plastic." He's nevertheless cool with the phrase being applied and likes the enthusiastic response these design details get. Busse is intimately familiar with many of them, having signed off on many of them in his time as head interior designer for FCA's US operations. He recently moved to Europe to lead Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Fiat design there, so when I caught up with him next to the new Stelvio crossover at the Alfa stand in LA, I had to ask: Are we going to see any of those neat design details in Alfas or Maseratis anytime soon? The short answer is no. But he didn't say it's out of the question. Busse said if, for example, a designer wanted to put an Italian phrase somewhere on a car that was in keeping with the brand, he would allow it. Although he didn't come out and say it, it seems like he might feel this type of fun design element isn't necessarily appropriate for a higher-end brand like Alfa. And I get that. But I'm still going to check all the compartments of that new Alfa crossover for a map of the Stelvio Pass. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio: LA 2016 View 11 Photos Design/Style LA Auto Show Alfa Romeo Jeep 2016 LA Auto Show easter egg