Quoting internal sources, Top Gear’s website reports that Alfa Romeo is actually working on a production version of the 4C, the little two-seater that we had seen in a matt red livery in March at the Geneva Motor Show and then in a shiny metallic outfit in Frankfurt. Apparently, the Fiat Group (which controls Alfa Romeo) is aiming at putting out a version of the car with a price tag in the 45,000£ area (roughly 54,000 € - 70,000 $), and the project is currently being developed in a sort of low-profile way, outside the main product-development bureaucracy.

The showcar we have seen at both Motor Shows used a carbon tub designed by racecar manufacturer Dallara, which also contributed to the design of Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione (and, among others, to Bugatti Veyron too), while front and rear frames were aluminum. In order to achieve the price range they are aiming at, the production version of the 4C might end up using some less noble material, but for now it would be pointless to speculate on which sort of solutions they may adopt. As for the mechanical side, rumor has it the next 4C
will start life with a 230 hp engine which, in combination with a weight of about 900 kg, would provide the model with an impressive power-to-weight ratio that will allow it to go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in about 4.5 seconds.

According to TopGear’s website, the carmaker is planning to put the first prototypes of the model on the road in Spring 2012 in view of a possible commercial debut in the same period of the following year. However, we would expect to see some 4C concept version popping up at some Motor Show before then.

Pictures | Autoblog.it

The last creation from Italian tuner Romeo Ferraris is called Supercharged RF-Brera, a spiced up version of Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 JTS. The standard version of the car is powered by a 3.2-litre V6 engine delivering 260 hp and 322 Nm (237 lb/ft) of peak torque that pushes the car from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6,5 seconds, with 240 km/h (149 mph) of top speed. Romeo Ferraris performed a few intervention on this unit - most notably the addition of a Rotrex centrifugal compressor, a new intercooler, sport air-filter and a remapped ECU - and it replaced the original exhaust system with a brand new complete exhaust collector and metal catalyst. With all these additions, the Brera’s RF-supercharged engine can now produce an output of 358 hp and 440 Nm (324 lb/ft) of torque, numbers that allow it to go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.0 seconds (no less than 1.5 seconds faster than the 6.5 seconds time of the standard Brera) and reach a top speed of 260 km/h (161 mph).

The chassis has also been revised in order to make the Brera more reactive and precise on the road and in tight corners: sports springs and dampers adjustable in height and calibration have been added. In light of the fact that the Brera is approaching the end of its career as a production model, this tuning feels like a proper way to say goodbye to the model.

Fiat Group is planning to launch its Alfa Romeo brand on the Chinese market in 2012. Even though the timing of this operation is not totally clear at the moment, the boss of the joint-venture between Fiat and Chinese group Guangzhou Automobile, Mr. Jack Cheng, confirmed that the two companies will introduce Alfa Romeo models in that market as soon as possible, probably in the course of 2012. Cheng also stated that initially the joint-venture will sell only imported Alfa Romeo cars built in Italy, adding that if the response of the public will be positive enough, a local production might begin as well at a later time.

However, other sources report that Guangzhou Automobile’s main man Zeng Qinghong has already said that the group will actually begin producing Alfa Romeo cars on home soil starting this coming July. We will be waiting for some clarification on the matter, but in any case it seems quite likely now that Alfo Romeo will become available in China way earlier than in the US, where a slew of bureaucratic obstacles pushed its debut back to 2013. For now.

via | BorsaItaliana

According to Automotive News, Fiat Group main man Sergio Marchionne believes that the revitalization of the Alfa Romeo brand will depend on the success in the US. Surveys say that the Italian carmaker (now part of the Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A) is still very popular States-side in spite of a 15 years long absence from the American market, and Fiat has already set a 85,000 sold units target for 2014, just one year after Alfa Romeo’s return in that market. Marchionne decided to give priority to the States over Europe thinking that success in the former would be the driving force that could revive Alfa Romeo’s reputation in the latter.

A Chief Executive Officer for Alfa Romeo’s American division will be named by the end of 2011, and the brand itself will probably become one of the sporty brands of the Fiat Group. Chances are that the first Alfa Romeo model to enter the American market will be the 4C (pictured), powered by a turbocharged 1.8 litres engine delivering 300 hp. The new Giulia and Spider will be made available shortly afterwards, while a Jeep-based crossover and - possibly - a flagship sedan are likely to follow, making the most out of the partnership with Chrysler. This new wave of Alfa Romeo models will be available for sale in the US at the 124 Fiat showrooms already spread across the country, while another 26 Fiat centers are supposed to open by the end of the year.

Picture | Autoblog.it

Alfa Romeo stand’s undiscussed leading character at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show is the 4C Concept Fluid Metal, the standard bearer of the Italian brand’s know-how, especially when it comes down to technological innovations.

The 4C Concept is 4m long, with a carbon-fibre chassis, an aluminium crash box, it weights 850kg and it has a weight/power ratio of 4 kg/HP. This beautiful sports car features a 1750 TBi turbocharged 4-cylinder (200 HP) paired up with a dual clutch TCT transmission. Its performance is quite remarkable: its maximum speed is of 250 km/h and it reaches 0-100 km/h in less then 5 seconds. Alfa Romeo 4C Concept’s commercial debut is expected in 2013.

View the full 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show: Alfa Romeo 4C Concept photo gallery

The Alfa Romeo 4C Concept gets an update before heading to the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, after the stunning model was first revealed this year at Geneva. So why give a concept a restyle before a production version? To give it a new colour - the Alfa Romeo 4C now appears in “Fluid Metal” silver paint.

The Alfa 4C production version is expected to go on sale as a 2012-2013 model year car and the PR boffins have described it in their press release as the Ambassador of DNA technology. That means we should get some serious technology on the 4C as it takes the rest of the Alfa range into a new era of design and driving feel (at least, that’s what we hope).

The model will be the first in a series of Fiat sports car and measures four metres long, with a centrally positioned engine and rear wheel drive. The chassis is made from carbonfibre with an aluminium crash box and that lightweight construction promises a kerb weight of a mere 850 kg. The first engine on offer has been confirmed as the 1750 TBI (a turbocharged 1.7-litre unit) with more than 200 hp, and there will be TCT dual-clutch transmission and Alfa DNA drive mode selector.

Alfa Romeo isn’t releasing all the technical specs as yet, but it claims a sprint to 100 km/hr in less than five seconds and a top speed of more than 250 km/hr. Apparently we can expect a weight-to-power ratio of less than 4 kg/hp and weight distribution across the wheelbase should be 40 percent up front and 60 percent at the rear. Finally, the 4C gets wishbone suspension at the front and MacPherson struts at the rear in what Alfa promises will be one of its first real driver’s cars in years.

Alfa Romeo 4C concept new Frankfurt show pics

Italian press is reporting that Masearti production will take place in Italy after an investment of about 600 million euros from Fiat Group in the Grugliasco plant (ex-Bertone facilities). Italy’s financial paper, Ilsole24ore reports that the new E segment Maserati will be produced, while Autoblog.it says both the Maserati SUV and so-called baby Quattroporte models will be produced at the Italian facilities. Production at the plant, which has been dormant since 2006, is expected to start at the end of 2012.

The announcement comes after an agreement between Sergio Marchionne and the employment Ministry was reached. No news regarding eventual Alfa Romeo SUV and Jeep production is available. Decisions regarding Italian production at Mirafiori of those models are apparently currently on hold due to euro-USD exchange rates in light of the fact that a large number of the models will be exported. That means the US could still get its slice of Alfa Romeo SUV production to help Fiat cut costs.

We were still enamoured of the Alfa Romeo 4C Concept from this year’s Geneva Motor Show before discovering that there will be a new-look 4C Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The news comes from the Alfa Romeo Facebook page and the image above suggests that there will be a modified design to the 4C.

We’re assuming that this second Alfa Romeo 4C prototype will be close to the production version that should debut on international markets in the near future, but there have been so many rumours and delays to this model’s debut on the US market, that it seems just slightly disappointing to be getting another concept and not the final version.

On the other hand, Alfa could emerge with added interest and enthusiasm, particularly from the US on this second presentation, particularly after the anticipation that the Geneva 4C debut has created. All that will probably depend though on just when exactly we will get an official Alfa Romeo 4C production version debut.

The Alfa Romeo 4C is seen in this new official video which gives us a look at some of the design details and technical specs of the model that debuted to great acclaim at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Talked of as being the model to take Alfa back to the US, there are no real confirmations as to its official production debut.

What we do know is that the Alfa 4C has a 1750 TBi centrally-placed engine, a Dallara carbonfibre chassis, rear-wheel drive and a dual-clutch transmission. We do get to see the two-seater 4C take in a few track laps at the Balocco circuit, but the video is more about beauty than a detailed look at how it drives on the track.

Still, beautiful it is and what’s more, the possibility of the Alfa 4C on the market at a competitive price opens up opportunities for the Italian brand with a new model, getting back to its sporty roots. A Maserati version of the 4C has also been rumoured, as has an open-top Abarth 4C Spider, but we’d like to see Fiat get behind this project first, and get the Alfa 4C on the market.

In an interview with Dan Garcia, Abarth Spain marketing manager, and Spanish autoblog, a project to develop a central-engined Abarth Spider has been revealed. The scorpion-badged spider would be based on the Alfa Romeo 4C and would reach international markets between 2013 and 2014.

More surprising news is that we could also see a Maserati model developed, meaning the Italian brand would also get a centrally-engined model to compete with the likes of the Porsche Cayman and the Lotus Evora. With just a hint of rivalry, Garcia says that the Alfa 4C Concept project was originally under the direction of Abarth.

We’re not sure whether we’re more excited about the Abarth or the Maserati model, although the two will clearly have a different image, market position and price. Hopefully there will be more information to come.

The new Alfa Romeo SUV, currently codenamed the C-SUV, could make production before the hotly anticipated Alfa 4C GTA sports car, although the off-roader could debut in the US after the sports car as Alfa tries to cash in on the fascination with Italian sports cars.

The Alfa SUV is seen as an important model in the company’s ambitious targets to increase its production and become a mass market model. In fact, it will join what is a small range made up of the MiTo, the new Giulietta, the soon to come Giulia sedan and the 4C.

According to Autocar, it will be built on Fiat’s Compact Plus Global Modular Architecture which is based on the Giulietta platform but is extended to support all-wheel drive. Engineers are hoping to produce an SUV with Alfa’s traditional sporty driving characteristics and the model will be offered in both front and all-wheel drive versions.

Alfa and Maserati SUV renderings

In terms of design, the rendering here shows the distinctive Alfa front grille which has decorated the MiTo and the Giulietta, and will become the firm’s trademark style. According to Autocar, the Alfa SUV is vital to the brand’s survival, a point of view which surely disappoints purist Alfa fans.

In the meantime, the guys at Autoblog.it have published this rendering of the Maserati SUV, another controversial model in terms of its departure from the sports history of the Italian brand. Again, the SUV from the “Tridente” badge is considered essential to increase production volume and sales and as Porsche managed a success with its Cayenne, it seems that SUVs are not considered as incongruous to traditional sports brands as once before.

We remain indifferent to the Alfa and Maserati SUVs from a design point of view and aren’t particularly convinced that they are the models to save the respective brands. Maybe we’ve still got a soft spot for sporty sedans and coupés in the style of Aston Martin and Jaguar, and see the SUVs as another example of how the car industry is continually creating essential models in a bizarre internal exercise of SUV one-upmanship.

And then again maybe it’s exactly what the market wants, but the decision to take the Alfa 4C GTA to the US ahead of the SUV in a land that loves its off-roaders speaks volumes to us about what people really want from this brand.

These new Alfa Romeo Giulia renderings from Autoblog.it arrive at a delicate time for the new Alfa sedan. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has ordered what is basically a complete Giulia redesign before this model is ready for the US car market Alfa offering. Overall, these renderings take their inspiration from the Alfa 8C Competizione which is widely known as a very attractive car, and borrows some of the Ferrari FF rear, too.

This particular Giulia rendering is a two-door job, making it more coupé than sedan and the front end could do with a little more work (although re-styling an Alfa nose can’t be an easy job). There have been no progressive details from Alfa as to how the new Giulia design is going and everything is under wraps at this stage so anything could be planned. We doubt Alfa will take a look at this, but if needs some inspiration this is just the latest Alfa Giulia rendering to turn to.