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It's the Alfa Romeo Milano after all

We wound through as many switchbacks as found on the Brennero Pass when trying to decide ahead of time whether Alfa Romeo would name its coming subcompact SUV the Brennero. A set of GPS coordinates in a post on X turned us around again just a few days ago. The deceptions are finally done, Alfa Romeo declaring the name of its new entry-level offering: Milano. Most Americans will know the name as a cookie, either the original from Pepperidge Farm (derived from a cookie called "Naples") or the horde of imitations that Pepperidge Farm has taken legal action against. Many American enthusiasts will know the Alfa Romeo Milano as a sedan made from 1985 to 1992, called the 75 in other markets as a nod to the brand's 75th anniversary and one of our Future Classics. As with the previous Milano, this one that debuts next April comes with historical associations. The name honors the classic sedan as well as the automaker's hometown of Milan, a city doubly honored on this vehicle by bearing Milanese symbols in its logo: The cross and the Biscione serpent, the coat of arms of the Visconti family. Alfa classifies this as a Sport Urban Vehicle to succeed the Giulietta and Mito; as an entry-level offering beneath the Tonale, if the Brennero adopts dimensions of the sibling Jeep Avenger, the Brennero will be about 16 inches shorter than the Tonale, its roof about three inches lower.  Alfa Romeo saying the Milano "will also be available in a 100% electric version" provides confirmation of both ICE and EV powertrains, mimicking the choices for the Avenger. The ICE option could be the Avenger's mild hybrid, built around a 1.2-liter three-cylinder and making a combined 154 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, or a more powerful setup used by Peugeot. As for the EV, assuming no change from the Avenger, the Milano would get a 54-kWh battery and front axle e-motor making 154 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque, and around the same 248 miles on a charge on the WLTP cycle. More speculative speculation supposes there could be a dual-motor all-wheel-drive Brennero evolved from the drivetrain in the Avenger 4x4 Concept, perhaps arriving for the 2025 model year in the Alfa, the Avenger, and the Fiat 600e. Just like we don't get the Avenger, we don't expect the Milano to make it this far north if it crosses the Atlantic. We'll know what other markets can expect when the SUV debuts in April 2024.

Alfa Romeo teases 6C supercar taillight

Alfa Romeo's latest reboot takes its next steps this year with the arrival of the refreshed Giulia and Stelvio to the U.S. market, and the debut of the new Tonale. The Italians primed the pump with an Instagram video celebrating 2022 and asking if we're ready for 2023. At the end of the vid, Alfa Romeo answers its own question with, "We Are." And as it's clear to see, the first "e" is a brand new font we've not seen Alfa use before. Everyone expects this is a taillight from the supercar that brand chief Jean-Philippe Imperato starting hinting about last year, intel coalescing around the name 6C. If that ends up being the name, the new supercar would complete the trilogy of 2007's 8C and 2015's 4C.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Alfa Romeo (@alfaromeoofficial) If Evo can be believed, the 6C will borrow much of its tech spec from the Maserati MC20. Even more unexpected, Evo says Alfa Romeo will advertise the halo as a bridge between its internal combustion era and its electric era, so the supercar will be offered with ICE and EV powertrains. An electric MC20 is on the way, so the plan won't be a tough jump. The most unexpected bit is when Evo says the Alfa Romeo supercar will use Maserati's in-house Nettuno V6 designed for the MC20, whereas most believe Alfa plans to go with the 2.9-liter V6 used throughout its lineup and in other halos like the Giula GTA/Am. If Evo is correct, this is sounding like another 8C, that car based on the Maserati GranTurismo and using Maserati's Ferrari-based engine of the time.  It's a bit of a challenge to reconcile Evo's report with some aspects of what Imperato said in an interview with Autocar. The honcho told Autocar, "It’s 1969 [the Spider] since the last time Alfa Romeo was stamped on a chassis" and it would be "a cool thing" to see again under his watch. We don't envision that happening to the Dallara carbon fiber monocoque chassis designed for the MC20. Imperato also said the automaker's still fine tuning the business case and that "the positioning is ongoing." If Alfa Romeo were nabbing the $260,000 MC20 practically wholesale, the only positions are super spendy supercar and wildly spendy supercar. Lastly, the all-electric MC20 Folgore isn't expected until 2024, the Alfa supercar at the end of 2023.

Buyers resent low inventories, prices over MSRP, study says

Vehicle inventory low, vehicle transaction prices high, customers fretting … welcome, J.D. Power, to the era of supply and demand. In a recently published survey from one of the auto industryÂ’s top analytical firms, findings show that customers' satisfaction with vehicle purchases in the United States this year has dipped for the first time in 10 years. The 2022 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study found that overall sales satisfaction has dropped to 786 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 789 in 2021. In that year, higher than expected trade-in values softened the effect of new vehicle price increases. But in 2022, on top of trade-in prices shrinking, many dealers elected to charge more than the ManufacturerÂ’s Suggested Retail Price, a factor that did not sit well with buyers. “When dealers charge more than MSRP, particularly with long-term loyal customers, they risk a potential long-term negative effect on customer advocacy and service business," said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. Satisfaction among buyers who paid more than sticker price is 757, while satisfaction among those who paid the sticker price or less is 850, the Power report said. The lack of dealership inventory was also a customer irritant, J.D. Power found, a point that automakers and their dealers may want to consider. Many have maintained, or considered maintaining, a smaller inventory in the wake of the pandemic, keeping costs down and driving more customers toward factory orders. Regarding those consumers shopping for electric vehicles, the survey said that more than a third of them “failed to get instruction on EV charging before they left the dealership, which notably affects satisfaction.” Said Sutton, “Salespeople donÂ’t need to show gas-powered vehicle buyers how to fill their tank, but they do need to show EV buyers how to charge their vehicle.” There are positives to the Power conclusions, however, especially for Alfa Romeo dealers. The Italian brand ranked highest in customer satisfaction among premium brands with a score of 833, with Porsche a very close second (831) and Lexus (819) third. Alfa is on something of a roll these days, with its compact Tonale crossover due for release in the spring, and a new sports car in the works. Meanwhile, in PowerÂ’s “mainstream brand”” segment, Buick ranked first with a score of 825, followed by Dodge (816) and Subaru (804), all performing higher than the industry average.