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Originally Posted by UNKNOWN_370
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Yeah, maybe.
But every design student with a project to do has come up with something on what the next Alfa might look like. None of it has been real, and Alfa doesn't release info on upcoming models. Hell, if you asked them today if they were selling the Giulia, they'd deny it. Seriously - communication is not their strong point. It isn't among their top 100 strong points.
Here's some food for thought. FCA is hurting and Alfa Romeo is one of the sources of the hemorrhage. Every deadline that Marchionne and Wester have put forward for the brand, have been missed by miles. The 2014 plan for Alfa was to have 8 new models and 400,000 units worldwide sales by 2018. Other than the pitiful MiTo and the long-in-the-tooth Giulietta which we don't get here, they have made about 6,000 4C's since inception in 2014. The lights go dim on that car in 2017 or early 2018, by all accounts. By then, a global total of perhaps 7,500 will have been made (fewer than 2,000 a year). We figure that they are taking a loss on every car, and that's all they ever wanted to build. It was basically a halo to announce the return of the marque to N. America and to herald the "global reboot" of Alfa Romeo in 2015.
Giulia has only just gone on sale - even in Europe, they saw their first sales cars very late in 2016. They sold 100 so far in N. America. Obviously, that will ramp up as production allows. But as good as their cars are, Management at Alfa in Italy is truly abysmal. They probably don't have nearly the production capacity to meet demand for this car (much less to expand into BRIC nations where any profitable player needs to be anymore). I'll eat a V-8 if they sell close to 100,000 of these this year. More likely 50K.
Stelvio, the new SUV, was supposed to hit store shelves last fall. it won't likely see sales in 2017.
Dealers have not been informed (even on the QT) of further models. Anything else is just speculation (such as the Giulia Coupe, the Sportwagon, the 6C, a new Dino, or a Montreal). Priorities change, and do do finances. Just look at the ready-for-production Maserati Alfieri. Dealers were taking deposits on that since 2014, and it has totally fallen off the radar.
So, what happened to Marchionne's grand plan? Well, Harald Wester got booted back to the benches, and Reid Bigland has taken over as CEO of Maserati and Alfa Romeo. There are only two new models on showroom floors (with the 4C to fade to black, and the Stelvio to come in around the end of this year). And that 2018 deadline - is now officially 2020.
Grab a ride in a 4C or Giulia while you can. They are spectacular cars. Living, breathing embodiments of 100+ years of racing history and (except for the last 20 years or so) automotive excellence. Reading Alfa lore is the kind of stuff that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. And the people and technology that came out of the marque are legend in the industry. I truly hope that Alfa Romeo is here to stay, and that it can maintain its current relative independence. Cars like these should never have made it past accounting. But that is the Italian way!