1985 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 Spider on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Slow Chinese market delays Maserati and Alfa Romeo models

We already told you that Alfa Romeo was delaying the Giulia sedan and an unnamed CUV, but now things are getting worse. According to Bloomberg, Maserati has delayed the Alfieri sports car. And it's all China's fault. The faltering Chinese domestic market, which is experiencing its slowest period of growth in nearly three decades, is forcing Fiat Chrysler to rethink its plans for its Italian models, Bloomberg reports. Rather than going for models that would likely be popular in China, including the Alfa CUV and a larger sedan, the company will shift its focus and bring out updated MiTo and Giulietta hatchbacks, both of which would play better in Europe, an unnamed source within FCA told Bloomberg. This news is notable because it shows that FCA boss Sergio Marchionne's ambitious product transformation is not progressing as smoothly as planned. In the MiTo's case, the company is willing to go back on its original strategy. The subcompact hatch wasn't supposed to survive beyond 2016, but Bloomberg is reporting an update is due by the middle of next year. As for Maserati, well, there's not much to say. The Alfieri was supposed to go on sale next year, and now it's not. There's no word on how (or even if) Maserati's priorities will shift to another vehicle, or if this is simply a matter of money being distributed away from one of FCA's brands and toward another. Related Video: News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Andy Wong / AP Alfa Romeo Maserati Sergio Marchionne FCA alfa romeo giulia alfa romeo mito alfa romeo giulietta maserati alfieri

Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio trims leaving North America this summer

Larry Dominique, Alfa Romeo senior vice president and head of North America, used a LinkedIn post to set the countdown clock on the brand's Quadrifolgio models here. He wrote, "The opportunity to order a 2024 Giulia Quadrifoglio or Stelvio Quadrifoglio will close to North America at the end of April 2024. The last internal only combustion powered Quadrifoglio models for U.S. and Canada will exit the Cassino plant in June 2024." That gives shoppers about 10 weeks to place an order for the hottest versions of Alfa Romeo's sedan and midsize SUV, and until late summer to find a fresh example on a dealer lot. It's possible the internal-combustion-only Quadrifoglio is dying in the U.S. on its 101st birthday, Italian racing driver Ugo Sivocci having had the four-leaf clover painted on his car for the 1923 Targa Florio. Today, the clover represents models powered by Alfa's twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6, an engine said to be inspired by Ferrari's twin-turbo 3.9-liter V6. The six-cylinder makes 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque in typical form, the limited-edition Quadrifoglio Anniversario models produced last year making 520 horsepower and picking up the mechanical limited-slip differential derived from the sold-out, 540-horsepower Giulia GTA. This is just another step in the automaker's transfer to an all-electric lineup, all of the brand's launches from 2027 and thereafter meant to be electric. This isn't the end of the Quadrifoglio, Dominique himself writing in that post, "I look forward to presenting the next chapter in the four-leaf clover’s journey." Successive iterations will get some sort of electric assistance at the least, and perhaps turn into the 1,000-hp battery-electric 2026 Giulia Quadrifoglio that CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato hinted at last year, with an 800-horsepower Veloce trim below and a 350-hp base trim. Or, with PHEVs coming into fashion as a more affordable middle ground to the fully electric promised land, it might be time to take a little more inspiration from Ferrari — now a separate company — and poke around the underside of the SF90 Stradale. Alfa noises and pure electric driving on demand? Si, certamento.          

Alfa Romeo teases 'a new era' with Tonale taillights

The Italians from Turin opened their Facebook page to put the world on alert that "a new era begins with Alfa Romeo," and they did so using Alfa Romeo Tonale taillights. The leading guess as to what this might portend is a battery-electric Tonale. Such a vehicle is possible, but there are questions. Brand product chief Daniel Guzzafame admitted it was "technically possible," and we're expecting an EV from Alfa next year; however, that's meant to be the Italian version of the Jeep Avenger EV sold in Europe. FCA Italy runs the Facebook page in question, and the page contains plenty of Europe-specific content, so perhaps this teaser isn't meant for us in the U.S. Or perhaps the new EV gets Tonale taillights. Or perhaps some market will see a Tonale EV soon.  Another guess is that engineers have created an enhanced Tonale variant to put the Dodge Hornet in the dust. Alfa Romeo was said to be less than pleased about Dodge borrowing the Tonale and launching its Hornet first, then showing a Hornet GLH (Go Like Hell) concept with more than 300 horsepower compared to the Tonale PHEV's 285 hp. So what if there's a Quadrifoglio PHEV headed to market, marking the first time the go-fast division would have put four leaves on a hybrid powertrain? CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato said that after the Tonale launch, "we have one big product event every year for five years." This year was the 33 Stradale, next year comes something, and in 2025, "a full EV super-performing car." After that, every Alfa Romeo will be battery-electric, and Quadrifoglio trims make the jump. Imparato said there'd only be a Quadrifoglio variant of the current version if engineers could unlock "the highest level of performance." A four-leafed Tonale could break the seal on the future of performance Alfas, and be among the department's last ICE-powered hurrahs. All shots in the dark, though. Now that the tease campaign has begun, the next clue won't be far away.