RE: Alfa Romeo Mito Quadrifoglio Verde SBK unveiled

[lewisf182]

I can't believe how short sighted alfa have been TBH. The 159 was a gorgeous looking car and seemed to sell in decent numbers, so why just let it die instead of bringing out a new version as soon as production of the old one finishes, like every other manufacturer does?!? They did the same with Brera and GT. It just makes no sense at all to kill models off instead of updating and replacing, and now they have a situation where they only sell two cars, which just does not cut it in this day and age when BMW, audi and Merc are filling nice after niche.

[Alfa159Ti]

Twincam16 said:

Isn't the new Mazda-based Spider imminent?

If only... I'd have one!

The most 'imminent' thing on the Alfa radar at the moment is the 4c, which is 'apparently' going to debut at the Geneva motorshow in March. Orders will then be being fulfilled 'sometime' towards the final part of this year.

In other news the Giulia is pencilled in for a 'potential' release 'sometime' in 2014.

All I have heard about the MX5/ Spider thing is that as a joint venture with Mazda is being 'considered'!

This is how it is in Alfa world at the moment unfortunately. Don't expect much and you won't be dissappointed when it comes to new models...

[loudlashadjuster]

squareflops said:

ill see your Alfa Romeo Mito Quadrifoglio Verde SBK and raise you the daihatsu cuore avanzato tr-xx r4

Or even the Suzuki Cocksnot Bango Deluxe ZR-B 16R Mark VI Captain Mainwaring Edition.

[Alfa159Ti]

lewisf182 said:

I can't believe how short sighted alfa have been TBH. The 159 was a gorgeous looking car and seemed to sell in decent numbers, so why just let it die instead of bringing out a new version as soon as production of the old one finishes, like every other manufacturer does?!? They did the same with Brera and GT. It just makes no sense at all to kill models off instead of updating and replacing, and now they have a situation where they only sell two cars, which just does not cut it in this day and age when BMW, audi and Merc are filling nice after niche.

Trouble was, nice as the 159 and Brera were, they hardly got the motoring press very excited and they sold in very few numbers. How often do you see one on the roads?

From what I can discern from Marchionne's press releases, they either have to make a Giulia that is a genuine competitor within the segment and that people will actually buy in numbers (a la the old 156), or else Alfa's very future will be in doubt.

Hence them wanting to spend time getting it just so. ITs got a lot of hype to live up to now though...

[Alex]

I used to own an "Alfa Romeo 33 16V Quadrifoglio Verde Permanent 4".

[Twincam16]

Alfa159Ti said:

lewisf182 said:

I can't believe how short sighted alfa have been TBH. The 159 was a gorgeous looking car and seemed to sell in decent numbers, so why just let it die instead of bringing out a new version as soon as production of the old one finishes, like every other manufacturer does?!? They did the same with Brera and GT. It just makes no sense at all to kill models off instead of updating and replacing, and now they have a situation where they only sell two cars, which just does not cut it in this day and age when BMW, audi and Merc are filling nice after niche.

Trouble was, nice as the 159 and Brera were, they hardly got the motoring press very excited and they sold in very few numbers. How often do you see one on the roads?

From what I can discern from Marchionne's press releases, they either have to make a Giulia that is a genuine competitor within the segment and that people will actually buy in numbers (a la the old 156), or else Alfa's very future will be in doubt.

Hence them wanting to spend time getting it just so. ITs got a lot of hype to live up to now though...

There's been a lot of rationalising going on at Fiat since they bought Chrysler. They've been cutting down on the amount of platform engineering so they only have one car in each sector, rather than competing internally with themselves.

So:

Small city car - Fiat 500 (plus C and Abarth versions) as 3-door, Lancia Ypsilon as 5-door
Superminis - Fiat Panda as 5-door, Alfa Romeo Mito as 3-door, Grande Punto discontinued
Mini-MPV - 500L
Family car - Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Lancia Delta
Exec saloon - Chrysler/Lancia 300C/Thema
Luxury saloon - Maserati Quattroporte
Luxury 2-seater coupe/convertible - Ferrari F149 California
Luxury 4-seater coupe/convertible - Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio

Above that you obviously have the rest of the Ferrari range. Marchionne has said he's probably going to pull the plug on the Delta and the Lancia-badged version of the 300C as it's not selling well in Europe. The 4C will spearhead Alfa's return to the US, but it won't make much sense without a Spider as a big-seller, so IMO the Spider is absolutely vital. The other vital car is the Giulia, although I can understand why Alfa is taking its time over it, simply because you don't take on the BMW 3-series unless you've got an absolutely outstanding car to do it with. The 156 was such a car, but sadly the 159 was too big and heavy to follow up on its promise.

[Oddball RS]

In best Italian Job drawl - Ugly car.....................

[anonymous-user]

GTA Please! Not a stickered up special!

[Alfahorn]

I'll be keeping my Giulietta TCT thanks, that looks bloody horrible!

[Alfa159Ti]

Twincam16 said:

...you don't take on the BMW 3-series unless you've got an absolutely outstanding car to do it with. The 156 was such a car, but sadly the 159 was too big and heavy to follow up on its promise.

Couldn't agree more - I have a 98 156 2.5 V6 on the drive as a second car and it is magnificent. Its worth buttons, drinks like a fish and the brakes are terrifying, but hell is it a delight to drive.

Hope springs eternal that the Giulia can capture some of that old elusive Alfa magic without totally santising it with modern tech.

[Twincam16]

Alfahorn said:

I'll be keeping my Giulietta TCT thanks, that looks bloody horrible!

What's the gearbox like on those? Is it nicely precise, willing and sporty, or is it a dull token manual semi-override for an automatic box that prefers to be left to its own devices?

[Twoshoe]

I believe my Italian hot hatch was technically a "Lancia Delta HF Turbo i.e. 4WD Integrale 16v". (Good job it wasn't an Evo!)

[Twincam16]

Alfa159Ti said:

Twincam16 said:

...you don't take on the BMW 3-series unless you've got an absolutely outstanding car to do it with. The 156 was such a car, but sadly the 159 was too big and heavy to follow up on its promise.

Couldn't agree more - I have a 98 156 2.5 V6 on the drive as a second car and it is magnificent. Its worth buttons, drinks like a fish and the brakes are terrifying, but hell is it a delight to drive.

Hope springs eternal that the Giulia can capture some of that old elusive Alfa magic without totally santising it with modern tech.

Well, it could go one of two ways. It needs to sell in the US and there's talk of a 4WD drivetrain for the 'snow belt' coupled to a Pentastar V6, so it may well end up based on a shortened 300C platform. Then again Maserati has been moved under Alfa's wing and they have a new 3-series-sized saloon codenamed Ghibli (why reuse the name? Why not give it a new 'wind' name? There are loads of really great-sounding names out there, but calling it a Ghibli would be like VW calling the next Golf GTI the '911 Turbo'), which is aimed directly at the BMW M3. With that in mind it's entirely possible the Alfa Giulia identity would be used for the lesser models based on its floorplan, with four-cylinder engines, diesels, estates etc.

Personally I'm hoping for the latter, preferably on a short-wheelbase Quattroporte platform.

[dry664]

I have a feeling that we wont see any new Alfa's under Fiat. They're hemorrhaging cash and that isnt going to stop any time soon, plus the current management seem to understand the value in the Alfa brand so dont want to further belittle it. Theres no way they will invest signifcantly in anything low volume, which undoubtedly the 4c, Spider, 159 and 164 replacements would be.

[Devil2575]

No.

[Twincam16]

dry664 said:

I have a feeling that we wont see any new Alfa's under Fiat. They're hemorrhaging cash and that isnt going to stop any time soon, plus the current management seem to understand the value in the Alfa brand so dont want to further belittle it. Theres no way they will invest signifcantly in anything low volume, which undoubtedly the 4c, Spider, 159 and 164 replacements would be.

I reckon the Spider could be very high-volume actually, given that they're planning to build it in Japan alongside the MX5.

[gaucimiura]

Is there someone at Alfa who is actually being paid to "design" the look of this car? It beggars belief that anyone who loves Alfas and cars in general would look at this as a potential purchase.
I'd take a 147 GTA for hooning and a Fiat 500 as a daily driver for less money than this.

[RicksAlfas]

Twincam16 said:

dry664 said:

I have a feeling that we wont see any new Alfa's under Fiat. They're hemorrhaging cash and that isnt going to stop any time soon, plus the current management seem to understand the value in the Alfa brand so dont want to further belittle it. Theres no way they will invest signifcantly in anything low volume, which undoubtedly the 4c, Spider, 159 and 164 replacements would be.

I reckon the Spider could be very high-volume actually, given that they're planning to build it in Japan alongside the MX5.

Bit of news here:
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=...

[Twincam16]

RicksAlfas said:

Twincam16 said:

dry664 said:

I have a feeling that we wont see any new Alfa's under Fiat. They're hemorrhaging cash and that isnt going to stop any time soon, plus the current management seem to understand the value in the Alfa brand so dont want to further belittle it. Theres no way they will invest signifcantly in anything low volume, which undoubtedly the 4c, Spider, 159 and 164 replacements would be.

I reckon the Spider could be very high-volume actually, given that they're planning to build it in Japan alongside the MX5.

Bit of news here:
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=...

[Alfahorn]

Twincam16 said:

Alfahorn said:

I'll be keeping my Giulietta TCT thanks, that looks bloody horrible!

What's the gearbox like on those? Is it nicely precise, willing and sporty, or is it a dull token manual semi-override for an automatic box that prefers to be left to its own devices?

It's fantastic. Works really well with Alfa's DNA system, far more interesting in the Multiair petrol (I have the diesel as I do 20k a year). Changes are seemless and the car stays on the power between upshifts. I think the paddles could be a little bit bigger, however to be honest this isn't a major problem as most of the time I just leave it in 'D'.