Anyone have any 'inside' info on the Alfa 4C?

Anyone have any 'inside' info on the Alfa 4C?

Author
Discussion

Raitzi

640 posts

211 months

Sunday 4th March 2012
quotequote all
jamieboy said:
Well, I think we'd first need to agree on a very specific - and perhaps quite unusual - definition of the word "failure". smile
Yes. I did not select the correct word there. Maybe it just is that when car looks that good, you kind of put easily too high hopes for rest of the car.

DJRC

23,563 posts

235 months

Monday 5th March 2012
quotequote all
The 8C was a failure from what Alfa first intended frown
The 4C is shaping upto be a similar tale of incompetence frown I will have to try *very* hard this weekend not to strangle the Chef de Mission when I ask him extremely politely what exactly is going on.

Its almost impossible to bugger the job up quite so consistently as Alfa manage.

jamieboy

5,910 posts

228 months

Monday 5th March 2012
quotequote all
Intention was surely to massively raise the profile of the brand. In doing that, they produced a car that all car enthusiasts (and a lot of real people, too) were talking about, and will still be talking about in 20 years - long after a couple of tenths of a second or an impractically small boot will be forgotten.


DJRC

23,563 posts

235 months

Monday 5th March 2012
quotequote all
jamieboy said:
Intention was surely to massively raise the profile of the brand. In doing that, they produced a car that all car enthusiasts (and a lot of real people, too) were talking about, and will still be talking about in 20 years - long after a couple of tenths of a second or an impractically small boot will be forgotten.
Try and be one of the original buyers. It was not a happy story. The wider car buying market are bloody irrelent when its your dosh on the line, the delivery date is going to the right, the asking price is going up and promises are being broken. Trust me, as a punter, with my dosh and time on the line...it was an incompetent cock up. The 4C is heading the same way.

jamieboy

5,910 posts

228 months

Monday 5th March 2012
quotequote all
DJRC said:
Try and be one of the original buyers. It was not a happy story. The wider car buying market are bloody irrelent when its your dosh on the line, the delivery date is going to the right, the asking price is going up and promises are being broken. Trust me, as a punter, with my dosh and time on the line...it was an incompetent cock up. The 4C is heading the same way.
Surely there was no "dosh on the line" until the deposit, once you'd finalised your spec and signed the order form? Getting allocated a build slot and talking to them was free. They tightened the process up a bit for the 8C Spider anyway - as much as you think they wasted your time, I think they had their fair share of timewasters / dreamers too.

In any case, I'm not sure that a protracted and slighly arbitrary buying process makes the car itself a failure.

Ultimately there were enough actual buyers to sell every car they made, and I suspect they could likely have sold them twice over. I could do with a few failures like that in my business. smile

Le Man

860 posts

206 months

Friday 9th March 2012
quotequote all
The 4c is being developed by a small team which sits outside of the normal product development process.
To say that they are not releasing much information is an understatement.
Like our customers, we are keen to know definitive specs and prices, and I'm aching to drive one, given what little we know.
The car will come when it is ready,unlike days of old where certain manufacturers used their first years' customers as guinea pigs.
It seems likely that we will see a cooking version and a hot version.
The TCT transmission will need to be modified into a form which suits a mid engined configuration.
Alfa Romeo has always maintained that it doesn't want deposits until the production car becomes a reality.
They have been collecting the names of interested parties via the Alfa Romeo retail marketing service.
These names are submitted by dealers and held on the KMI list which stands for keep me informed.

For the record, the brochure description is as follows:

Agile and responsive - without compromising power
  • Compact dimensions (two seater, approximately 4 metres in length)
  • Chassis with carbon fibre tub and extensive use of aluminium components
  • Power to weight ratio lower than 4kg per BHP
Performance of a true supercar
  • Maximum speed exceeding 155mph
  • Acceleration 0-62 mph in under 5 seconds
Technologies from the current Alfa Romeo range
  • Alfa D.N.A. selector switch for dynamic control of the vehicle
  • 1750 Turbopetrol engine delivering more than 200 BHP
  • ALFA TCT gearbox with dry dual clutch transmission
Save for a whisper at the Giulietta TCT dealer launch to the effect that "they are going to build the 300BHP version",that's what we know.

If the 4c goes from a show car concept to a production reality in less than two years, I suspect we ought to be impressed. Being in from the start, and being impatient to get behind the wheel,it will just feel like the whole thing has dragged intolerably.

In conclusion, talk to a dealer and get yourself onto the KMI list.
Expect that allocations will be small, and consequently, waiting times might be long.
And finally, please, have a look at the turnaround in status which Alfa Romeo is enjoying, and give some credit the the SMALL team at Slough who are working long and hard to bring this about.

(Oh, and don't give anyone a deposit !)



RichB

51,435 posts

283 months

Friday 9th March 2012
quotequote all
Le Man said:
...please, have a look at the turnaround in status which Alfa Romeo is enjoying, and give some credit the the SMALL team at Slough who are working long and hard to bring this about.
Any news from your contacts at Slough on a RHD version? p.s. like your profile pic wink

Le Man

860 posts

206 months

Friday 9th March 2012
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I've not been told that yet. We're waiting patiently until we hear and will pass it on as soon as we do.

Le Man

860 posts

206 months

Friday 9th March 2012
quotequote all
RichB said:
ny news from your contacts at Slough on a RHD version? p.s. like your profile pic wink
That's the only form of transport I own

GhostyDog

464 posts

206 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
Le Man said:
RichB said:
ny news from your contacts at Slough on a RHD version? p.s. like your profile pic wink
That's the only form of transport I own
It will be interesting seeing you park it at northern italian car night then wink

Le Man

860 posts

206 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
GhostyDog said:
It will be interesting seeing you park it at northern italian car night then wink
Parking is no problem.... landing on one wheel at 60 knots into that carpark presents more of a challenge :-)

DJRC

23,563 posts

235 months

Sunday 11th March 2012
quotequote all
I have news, but Im fked if I know wtf is going on.

The 4C IS confirmed as platform development. It is however, the *only* platform currently confirmed for development.

NO, and I repeat, NO, other information is confirmed about the 4C. That is accurate from Sergio's statement to staff at Geneva from this week.


To say broadsides were delivered to staff today would be an understatement. And that isnt your idea of broadsides, that is mine. The full monty version. From that you can use your imagination to guess at the language and sentiments expressed today.

Some extrapolated information taken in from the Chef and team:

1. Sergio has given up on Europe in the current climate
2. America is now the hope, strong sales there
3. 4C to be launched in USA 1st
4. Late 2013
5. Europe late 2013
6. UK early 2014

Thats all I have folks. Alfa did not even bother to put a 4C on their stand. The most damning comments? From each of their competition for my money in tha arena of they couldnt believe the 4C wasnt there and they all counted their blessings. Unbelievable.

Squadrone Rosso

2,740 posts

146 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
According to what we were told by frankly embarrassed Alfa staff at their travesty of a stand at Geneva on Saturday, the 4c will be 2014 if it happens at all.

Truly very sadfrown

stephen300o

15,464 posts

227 months

Tuesday 13th March 2012
quotequote all
If it sounds too good to be true..

Raitzi

640 posts

211 months

Saturday 31st March 2012
quotequote all
4C in production according to Italians:
http://www.autoedizione.com/alfa-romeo-4c-road-ver...

V6GTA

2,003 posts

196 months

Saturday 31st March 2012
quotequote all
Raitzi said:
4C in production according to Italians:
http://www.autoedizione.com/alfa-romeo-4c-road-ver...
Hmmmm....

Le Man

860 posts

206 months

Friday 13th April 2012
quotequote all
L'Alfa Romeo 4C andrà in produzione tra circa un anno negli impianti modenesi della Maserati, dove si sta lavorando per accogliere la catena di montaggio della due posti del Biscione, sulla scia di quanto avvenuto con la precedente 8C. E così, nel prossimo futuro la Maserati si concentrerà su tre nuove vetture, in altrettanti segmenti di mercato, che vedranno la luce nei prossimi due anni, con l'obiettivo di arrivare nel 2015 a 50mila unità prodotte.
I modelli. Il progetto industriale richiederà, tuttavia, nuove strutture, visto che con gli impianti attualmente disponibili a Modena non sarà possibile svolgere le attività in programma. La nuova sportiva dell'Alfa Romeo si affiancherà alle linee di montaggio della Gran Turismo e della Gran Cabrio, mentre la Quattroporte – i cui test del prossimo modello continuano senza sosta – sarà prodotta a Grugliasco negli ex stabilimenti della Bertone.
La produzione. Con la nuova organizzazione, affermano i sindacati, non solo si manterranno i livelli produttivi attuali di circa seimila vetture l'anno, ma non ci saranno cadute occupazionali.

V6GTA

2,003 posts

196 months

Friday 13th April 2012
quotequote all
Le Man said:
L'Alfa Romeo 4C andrà in produzione tra circa un anno negli impianti modenesi della Maserati, dove si sta lavorando per accogliere la catena di montaggio della due posti del Biscione, sulla scia di quanto avvenuto con la precedente 8C. E così, nel prossimo futuro la Maserati si concentrerà su tre nuove vetture, in altrettanti segmenti di mercato, che vedranno la luce nei prossimi due anni, con l'obiettivo di arrivare nel 2015 a 50mila unità prodotte.
I modelli. Il progetto industriale richiederà, tuttavia, nuove strutture, visto che con gli impianti attualmente disponibili a Modena non sarà possibile svolgere le attività in programma. La nuova sportiva dell'Alfa Romeo si affiancherà alle linee di montaggio della Gran Turismo e della Gran Cabrio, mentre la Quattroporte – i cui test del prossimo modello continuano senza sosta – sarà prodotta a Grugliasco negli ex stabilimenti della Bertone.
La produzione. Con la nuova organizzazione, affermano i sindacati, non solo si manterranno i livelli produttivi attuali di circa seimila vetture l'anno, ma non ci saranno cadute occupazionali.
Roughly translated

The Alfa Romeo 4C will go into production in about a year in the Maserati plant in Modena, which is working to accommodate the assembly of the two seats of the Alfa Romeo, in the wake of what happened with the previous 8C. And so, in the near future will focus on three new Maserati cars, in many market segments, which will be released in the next two years, with a target of 50 thousand units produced in 2015.
Models. The industrial project will require, however, new structures, as with the systems currently available in Modena will not be possible to carry out program activities. The new sporty Alfa Romeo will be joined to the assembly lines of Gran Turismo and Gran Cabrio, while the Quattroporte - whose testing is continuing for the next model - will be produced in the former premises of Grugliasco Bertone.
Production. With the new organization, say the unions, not only will maintain current production levels of about six thousand cars a year, but there will be employment falls.

k-ink

9,070 posts

178 months

Sunday 15th April 2012
quotequote all
After reading this I'd say forget the 4C and just buy an Exige!

(I love Alfa - owned loads, plus I used to own a Lotus 111R).

DJRC

23,563 posts

235 months

Monday 23rd April 2012
quotequote all
k-ink said:
After reading this I'd say forget the 4C and just buy an Exige!

(I love Alfa - owned loads, plus I used to own a Lotus 111R).
Already ahead of you. I went to Geneva as a guest of Lotus explicitly with the Exige in mind.

Then Lotus decided to go one better than Alfa and not just bugger about with a model, but bugger about with the whole company.


Ive given up and bought an SLK for a grand instead.