1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate Convertible 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler target 850k sales in China by 2018

Behind the vanguard of numerous Jeep models, two Chryslers, a smattering of Fiats and Alfa Romeos and local production through a joint venture with Guangzhou Automotive Group (GAG), Fiat Chrysler wants to increase sales in China more than six-fold by 2018. The group sold 130,000 cars in China in 2013, the aim for 2018 being 850,000 cars.
Ultimately it's expected that the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cherokee, Wrangler, Renegade, the coming Grand Wagoneer and a sub-Renegade-sized crossover will either be built in or exported to the People's Republic. The Chrysler Town & Country and 300 will join the export list in 2016 and 2018 respectively, according to a report in Automotive News.
With a number of those vehicles not in production or perhaps even envisaged yet, and others not due on the local market until 2018, it will be interesting to see how Fiat Chrysler plans to achieve the target in the specified timeframe. The joint venture with GAG builds two products now, the Dodge Dart-based Fiat Viaggio launched two years ago - supposedly designed just for China - and the just-launched Fiat Ottimo, a hatchback version of the Viaggio. Fiat projected 300,000 Viagio sales in its first two years, that number has been adjusted downward to 94,000 and there doesn't appear to be an analyst alive that sees a good future for Fiat in China's overrun mainstream market. Still, last year's 130,000 group sales in China is a huge jump from 2012 sales of 66,000 units, but less than half the 300,000 units it projected.

Alfa Romeo's supercar is nearly sold out (but not yet approved)

Alfa Romeo's on-again, off-again supercar is taking shape. It hasn't been approved for production yet, let alone unveiled, but a recent report suggests that enthusiasts who want to add the model to their collection need to reach out to one of the firm's dealers as quickly as possible. Company boss Jean-Philippe Imparato told British magazine Autocar that several collectors have already put a deposit down on the car. There's no word yet on how many examples will be built, assuming the limited-edition model receives the proverbial green light for production, but the CEO suggested that demand will exceed supply. "It will be sold-out before I unveil the car," he told the publication. It's too early to tell what kind of supercar is in the pipeline. Allegedly called 6C, a name that seemingly confirms a six-cylinder engine, the model could feature a heritage-inspired design. "We are working on something that I could put aside the 8C in the museum of Arese, being proud of our contribution to the history of Alfa Romeo. That is what we want," Imparato clarified. He added that development work is ongoing. One of the numerous points that's up in the air is which six-cylinder the car will use. It's reasonably safe to assume that the engine will have a V configuration; Alfa Romeo doesn't have a straight-six engine in its arsenal. Although many of its sister companies do, it's not a layout that has historically been associated with the storied Italian brand while the V6 has been part of its heritage for decades. Using the 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 found in several recent additions to the Maserati range is likely more complicated than it might sound; Autoblog learned that Maserati isn't open to sharing the twin-turbocharged six-cylinder with another company, even one under the same umbrella. That leaves us with the 2.9-liter V6 that powers the Giulia Quadrifoglio, among other models, as the most likely candidate, but nothing is official at this stage. Stellantis executives will decide whether to approve the supercar in April 2023, according to Autocar. We're guessing that if deposits have already been taken and the car is nearly sold-out, there's a good chance that the model will see the light at the end of a production line. Haven't we already seen Alfa's supercar? If the idea of an Alfa Romeo supercar rings a bell, it's likely because coachbuilder Zagato unveiled a one-of-a-kind, Giulia-based model called Giulia SWB Zagato in December 2022.

Alfa Romeo SZ, the brutalist 'Il Mostro,' restored by FCA Heritage

Nicknamed Il Mostro — "the Monster" in Italian — because of its unusual, almost brutalist design, the 1989 Alfa Romeo SZ was meant to showcase all the technological prowess of the Milanese firm at the time. It was also meant to plant a stake in the ground and return the revered marque to its rear-wheel-drive roots. Though it was an evolutionary dead end, the SZ is still considered among the most distinctive cars in a brand filled with distinctive models. It should, then, be no surprise that FCA Heritage, the classic car and history preservation arm of Stellantis (which, apparently, was not part of the name change) has just restored one. The SZ began life at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show as the ES-30 concept, which stood for Experimental Sports 3.0-liter. The production car was named SZ for Sprint Zagato, but the design is credited to Robert Opron of the Fiat Style Center, while Antonio Castellana did the finishing details and interior. Zagato used its coachbuilding expertise to build the cars, whose bodywork was formed from a composite thermoplastic material called Modar, made by Italy's Carplast and France's Stratime. Alfa Romeo also claims it was the first car to be produced using computer-aided design (CAD/CAM). Beneath the sci-fi exterior lay a 12-valve, 3.0-liter V6 plucked from the Alfa Romeo 75 3.0i Quadrifoglio Verde. With 204 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, it was the most powerful Alfa of the time. Output was fed through a 5-speed transaxle and the suspension, Koni-designed shocks, and brakes reportedly tuned by Fiat and Lancia rally driver Giorgio Pianta and transplanted from the Alfa 75 1.8 Turbo Evolution Group A racer.  The original run was intended to span just 1,000 cars, but some sources say 1,036 were produced. That run ended in 1991, after which a roadster version called the RZ was built from 1992-93.  The example restored has been in Alfa Romeo's possession since the beginning. It served as a test car on the Balocco proving grounds and was used in promotional photos. There are several details on it that differ from production models, so much so that Alfa Romeo says it could be "considered a prototype." Unfortunately, as history shows, the SZ failed to usher in a real-wheel-drive renaissance at Alfa Romeo. After its end, there wasn't another rear-drive model until the 8C Competizione in 2007.