U.S. Fiat Dealers Disappointed by New Decision to Delay Alfa Romeo's Return

American fans of the Alfa Romeo brand are not the only ones to be upset by the Fiat-Chrysler alliance's most recent decision to delay the scheduled return of the Italian automaker to the States. So are the company’s newly launched Fiat dealerships that were expecting the brand to launch in late 2012.

While Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne never put it in ink, the company had told its 130 Fiat dealers in the USA that they would likely get Alfa Romeo cars as part of their franchise.

The Fiat-Chrysler alliance appointed a total of 130 Fiat dealers across the States, most of which already had a Chrysler store. The company gave dealers the permission to incorporate temporary showrooms in their existing Chrysler facilities, but required them to build separate and permanent stores by the end of 2012.

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IAA 2011: Alfa Romeo 4C Concept

While many were expecting to see the final production version of Alfa Romeo's 4C mid-engine sports car in Frankfurt, the Italian automaker chose to keep playing the waiting game and simply displayed the concept in a different shade called "Fluid Metal".
Aside from the new hue, nothing else has changed since we first saw the study at this year's Geneva Salon in March.
The lightweight 4C is fitted with Alfa Romeo's 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering over 200-horses, mounted behind the driver. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through the "Alfa TCT" twin dry clutch transmission.
Alfa Romeo said that it plans to put the 4C into series production in 2013.

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Another Month, Another Delay: Alfa Romeo Won't Come to the States Until 2013, Cancels SUV Plans

In what has become something of a joke for those closely following the Fiat Group's plans to re-introduce Alfa Romeo to the States, the Milanese firm's CEO Harald Wester told journalists in Frankfurt that the company has once again pushed back the U.S. presentation of several key models.

Wester also said that Alfa Romeo has canceled plans to build a mid-sized SUV at Chrysler Group's factory in Ohio. Read more »

IAA 2011: Alfa Romeo 4C Concept Shows us its New Metal Finish

While many were expecting to see the final production version of Alfa Romeo's 4C mid-engine sports car in Frankfurt, the Italian automaker chose to keep playing the waiting game and simply displayed the concept in a different shade called "Fluid Metal". Read more »

Alfa Romeo Updates Giulietta with Twin-Clutch Transmission

The…freshly painted version of the 4C sports coupe concept will be joined at Alfa Romeo's Frankfurt Motor Show stand by the updated variants of the Giulietta and Mito hatchbacks.
The Giulietta gains Alfa Romeo's new double-clutch TCT transmission that will be offered on the 1.4-liter turbocharged MultiAir gasoline engine and the 2.0-liter turbodiesel, both of which have a maximum output of 170HP.
With the TCT, average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions on the petrol model fall to 5.2 lt/100 km (45.2 mpg US) and 121g/km respectively, and on the diesel to 4.5 lt/100 km (52.3 mpg US) and 119 g/km respectively.
And that’s without sacrificing performance. In fact, the 1.4 MultiAir’s time for the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint is 7.7 seconds and its top speed reaches 218 km/h (135.4 mph). Likewise, in the 2.0 JTDM the TCT brings the Giulietta to the top of its class, with a 7.9 seconds time for the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint.
Alfa’s smallest model, the 3-door MiTo, will also show something new to visitors of the Frankfurt Motor Show: the new 0.9-liter, turbocharged two-cylinder TwinAir engine that we first saw at the Fiat 500 and which won the coveted “International Engine of the Year 2011” award. The two-cylinder unit develops 85HP and, depending on the DNA program, 110-145Nm of torque.
According to the Italians, its MultiAir technology and the auto Stop-Start system enable the new version of the MiTo to consume up to 30% less fuel than engines with comparable performance and at the same time achieve a best-in-class CO2 emissions figure of just 98 g/km.
In addition, the new MiTo MultiAir will be offered in a new “Nero Ametista” body color along with new-design alloy wheels and a two-tone black dashboard and mesh seat trim.
Last, but not least, the MiTo will soon get a new 1.3-liter JTDM turbodiesel engine with variable turbocharger technology and Start-Stop technology as standard. Like its petrol counterpart, this second generation Multijet engine has an output of 85HP and is Euro5 compliant. It emits 90 g of CO2 per km, its average consumption is only 3.5 lt/100 km (67.2 mpg US) falling to much as 2.9 lt/100 km (81.1 mpg) on the highway.

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Report: Fiat Group Mulling to Build Jeep and Alfa Romeo SUVs in the U.S. Instead of Italy

If there's one car company that's notorious for making promises and/or premature announcements on decisions only to have the projects cancelled, delayed, altered, or even postponed for years (Alfa Romeo's return to the U.S. is a typical example), it's the Fiat Group.

In late 2010, the Italian company that also controls the Chrysler Group, revealed plans to update its Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy, in order to produce larger segment passenger cars and SUVs for the Jeep and Alfa Romeo brands.

Less than a year after the announcement, Bloomberg is now reporting that Fiat is considering moving planned production of the upcoming Jeep and Alfa Romeo SUV models from Turin to a factory in North America, due to the strengthening euro against the dollar.

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Alfa Romeo 4C Concept New Color

Instead of presenting the final production version of is 4C mid-engine sports coupe at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show, Alfa Romeo will once again display the concept model but with a different paint job.
The new color is named 'Fluid Metal' with Alfa claiming that it "dynamically enhances the smooth and sinuous lines of the car". We find it much better looking than the washed out matte red shown on the original Geneva Salon concept.
Other than that, the two-seater model keeps the same 200-horsepower, 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mounted behind the passenger cabin driving the rear wheels through a twin clutch automatic transmission.
The 4 meter long concept makes liberal use of carbon fibre in its construction to keep weight at a low 850kg or 1,873 pounds for a power to weight ratio of less than 4kg per HP, with Alfa promising a sub-5.0 seconds sprint to 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) and a top speed of over 250 km/h (155 mph).
The 4C is expected to enter production next year.

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Alfa Romeo Updates Giulietta with Twin-Clutch Transmission and MiTo with Two-Cylinder Engine

The…freshly painted version of the 4C sports coupe concept will be joined at Alfa Romeo's Frankfurt Motor Show stand by the updated variants of the Giulietta and Mito hatchbacks.

The Giulietta gains Alfa Romeo's new double-clutch TCT transmission that will be offered on the 1.4-liter turbocharged MultiAir gasoline engine and the 2.0-liter turbodiesel, both of which have a maximum output of 170HP.

Read more »

Alfa Romeo 4C Concept gains New Color for Frankfurt Motor Show

Instead of presenting the final production version of is 4C mid-engine sports coupe at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show, Alfa Romeo will once again display the concept model but with a different paint job.

The new color is named 'Fluid Metal' with Alfa claiming that it "dynamically enhances the smooth and sinuous lines of the car". We find it much better looking than the washed out matte red shown on the original Geneva Salon concept.

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IDECORE Presents New Alfa Romeo Minhoss Concept for a Compact Sports Coupe

Even though in recent years Alfa Romeo's formal presence in the concept scene has been limited to the 4C pre-production study, independent designers and studios alike have tried their best to cover the Italian firm's absence and capture the imagination of the public with plenty of conceptual proposals.

IDECORE, an Italian studio that bills itself as "independent designers and modelers" and which you may remember from last year's Monza V8 study, sent us these computer generated images of a new Alfa Romeo concept named Minhoss.

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We Heard: Changes to Frankfurt-Bound Alfa Romeo 4C Concept Limited to a New Hue

We've already shared with you the information that Alfa Romeo plans to bring an updated version of its 4C sports car concept featuring a "new exclusive look" to the 64th International Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Well, now we can tell you that, according to our sources, the "new exclusive look" will be a bespoke gray/silver color for the mid-engine, rear-wheel drive coupe that we first had the chance to see in a flat, washed out red finish at this year's Geneva Salon. Nothing more, nothing less…

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Novitec Makes the Alfa Romeo Giulietta a Little More Interesting

Novitec is a German tuning company known for wheedling more ponies from anything that rolls on four wheels and is produced in Italy. This time, the tuner has set its eyes on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatchback with the release of a comprehensive styling and performance package.

On the outside, Novitec's goods include a subtle but attractive ground effects kit (perhaps with the exception of the somewhat over-the-top rear diffuser, which in our opinion, would have probably looked better in a matte black finish).

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Alfa Romeo Says 4C to Appear in "New Exclusive Look"

On Thursday, we brought you news on Alfa Romeo's plans to exhibit the 4C at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. Today, the Italian automaker's social network gurus released an updated announcement saying that the 4C will be presented in a "new exclusive look" at the German auto show.
Clearly, Alfa Romeo's latest cryptic statement may be interpreted in different ways, but it won't be long before the Italian firm releases more details on the matter so stay tuned on Carscoop for more.
In the meantime, check out our previous article on the rear-wheel drive Alfa Romeo 4C Concept with details and live photos from its Geneva Salon debut.

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Alfa Romeo 4C at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

The countdown for the highly anticipated 2011 Frankfurt auto show in the second week of September has begun and carmakers are trying to keep us on our toes with enticing teasers like this invitation from Alfa Romeo.


Shown on the Italian firm's Facebook page, the teaser is about the new 4C mid-engined sports car that was previewed as a thinly disguised concept study at this year's Geneva Salon.
Being that the Sergio Marchionne, the head of the Fiat and Chrysler groups, has said the Alfa Romeo 4C will hit European showrooms during the first half of 2012 with some examples reaching U.S. hands by the end of the same year, there's a very good chance we'll see the car in its final production form.
If that's not the case, then it could be that Alfa Romeo may show either a roadster version of the 4C or a more powerful version.
We'll remind you that the 4C concept study in Geneva was fitted with a 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine pushing 200-horsepower towards the rear axle via a twin dry clutch automatic transmission dubbed “Alfa TCT”.

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Alfa Romeo’s Return to the US Delayed Until 2013

It’s 2003, 2004, 2006 – you get the idea- happening all over again; Alfa Romeo’s return to the US market has been delayed and will not happen in 2012 as was the most recent plan. Instead, Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC CEO, Sergio Marchionne, has pushed the Italian brand’s arrival back for another year, or so until he announces another delay.
Technically, Alfa has already returned to the market it abandoned in 1995 by selling 100 units of its 8C Competizione supercar. And Marchionne won’t exactly break his promise about 2012: the small detail is that it will be only with a few examples of the limited-edition 4C coupe.
If –and that’s a very big IF- everything goes according to schedule, Alfa’s actual second coming to the US will happen in mid-2013 starting with a compact crossover model.
The reason for the latest delay is the fact that Marchionne has thrice in the last 18 months rejected proposals for the new Giulia, the compact sport sedan that will replace the 159 and will be the second model, after the SUV, to be sold to the US market through Fiat dealerships.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this time it’s for real. Because since 2000, when the then-CEO Paolo Cantarella announced a return to the US in alliance with GM, which was subsequently pushed back to 2002 before being abandoned, we’ve already heard more than enough reports on the matter.
And this is all starting to sound like TV televangelists who every other day, and twice on Sundays, predict the end of the world yet, despite their "prophecies", planet Earth is still here.

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