Alfa Romeo takes Spider in-house, Mazda-Fiat roadster partnership not dead
Sat, Dec 20 2014
"As far as the Spider goes, the final version is of course no longer the two-seater FCA co-developed with Mazda but a derivative of Project Giorgio," Maserati and Alfa Romeo brand boss Harald Wester told Car.
For those not in the know, Project Giorgio is Alfa's codename for the rear-drive platform that will underpin the next-generation Spider, not to mention the replacement for the 159 sedan and a few other products.
All is not lost for the Japanese-Italian partnership, though.
"The Far East import will probably find a new home with Fiat-Abarth," Wester told Car. Yes, you read that correctly, Mazda is still working with FCA, and the result will eventually end up with Abarth's scorpion badge. If anything, we're more excited over this news than the idea of an Alfa MX-5. But we want to know what you think – would you rather Alfa build a new Spider on the Miata's bones, or does an MX-5 Abarth sound like more fun? Have your say in Comments.
By Brandon Turkus
See also: Weekly Recap: Chrysler forges ahead with new name, same mission, A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video], A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video].