Category Archives: Alfa Romeo

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Alfa Romeo would anticipate 4C and Giulia

Alfa Romeo 4C Concept at Villa d’Este 2012. Photo by http://autosmotosymasss.blogspot.it

Alfa Romeo could be thinking of present its production version of 4C before the time schedule. According to Autocar Magazine, initial plans of doing so in the Detroit Autoshow of 2014 (January) could be changed as they want to bring new stuff to dealerships who fight to increase sales with only 2 models. The car will be powered by a new 296 HP Turbo with 1.750 cc engine that will have the task to move only 850 kg. Fiat wants this car to be the impact model to re-enter American market but no big volumes, as they expect around 1.500-2.000 units sold per year. New plans could anticipate the presentation to summer 2013, but is not clear where. The plans for the Giulia, D-segment sporty sedan to replace the 159, are on the way and they have said it will be build in both sides of the Atlantic in order to use more Italian factories and don’t depend on currency problems. According to Marchionne, who has postponed this project several times, the Giulia will be an authentic Alfa because of its design and idea of Italian sporty and luxury car. They intend to sell around 50.000 units per year.

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New versions for Ram, 500, Bravo, Linea and Giulietta

Ram 1500 Laramie Limited. Photo by netcarshow.com

The ending week brings a lot of news related to the coming versions of Ram pickup, Fiat 500 and Bravo, and the first restyling of Fiat Linea. The offer of the bick truck from Ram will add a luxury version called Laramie Limited, featured with heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats and heated rear seats, to replace the Laramie Longhorn version. It will be Ram’s most expensive pickup and is part of the strategy of the brand to cover a the fast growing segment of luxury trucks. Chrysler has seen an opportunity among those clients that are not cowboys but want a big truck to use in the city.  In fact this kind of pickups are allowing Ram to rise the average price of its products. Last year, 13% of light -duty Ram pickups were sold for at least $40.000 (+9% compared to 2010), and among heavy-duty one, those pickups with prices above $50.000 represented 29% of total sales (+22%). In other words a new subsegment has born and Ram is ready to cover it. For the coming months, though, they should develop an exclusive model (not only an update of current model) in order to address more directly this kind of client. Last year, Ram sold around 315.000 units, 78% of them in the US, up 23% on 2010 figures,  double of growth that had its eternal rivals, Ford F-150 (+11%) and Chevrolet Silverado (+12%).

Fiat 500 Street MY 2013

Meanwhile in Italy Fiat has introduced the 500 Model Year 2013. Available in both body types, 3 door hatchback and cabrio, the car is now offered with 6 new colours and 2 new versions. The MY 2013 introduces the blue “Dipinto di blu”, the purple “Dolce”, gray “Colosseo”, red “Diva”, yellow “Sole” and Beige “Cappuccino”. They will be also available with 2 more interior options: Cioccolato/Avorio (Chocolate/Ivory) and Gray/Black. Lounge version is now possible to have with 14 axes rim of 15″. In terms of accessories, there are 2 more versions: the Street (Black Matt color, 16″ rims, spoiler, new seats, crome gearbox) starting at €13.750 for the 1.2. The other version is called Color Therapy, that according to Fiat, it develops the pop and coloured soul of the 500 through colours that had made this model so famous. MY 2013 does not mean any change in design, as Fiat is waiting for the first real facelift in the coming months in order to enhance in a better way the new rivals.

Fiat Bravo Sporting for Brazilian market

After some weeks of the presentation of Fiat Bravo MY 2013 for Brazilian market, they have showed the Sporting version. From next week Brazilians will be able to buy the Bravo with 17″ rims with new sporty touch outside and inside. It adds a red frame in the grill, a spoiler and a suspension 25mm lower than its ‘common’ brothers. Sky Dome roof is standard. Will be available with both gearbox, manual or Dualogic starting at R$58.140 (€23.000). Is then more expensive than Essence version R$53.140 (€21.000) and cheaper than Absolute (€24.600) and T-Jet versions (€26.200). The engine is 1.8 E-torQ and is only available with 4 different colors: yellow, white, red and green. Fiat , which is Brazil’s best selling carmaker, is trying to recover its market share in C-segment due to the fall of sales of its Bravo and Linea. During the first 5 months of 2012 they have sold 3.478 Bravos and 3.419 Lineas, far away from the leader of the segment, Toyota Corolla with 20.681 units sold so far.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sportiva

Alfa Romeo wants to keep the good results of its C-segment Giulietta. In April and May it was Italy’s best selling car in its segment surpassing VW Golf. After the arrival of entry level version of 1.4 T with 105 HP, now is turn for a more sporty version. The Supersportiva will arrive soon offering an interesting sporty package with 1.4 MultiAir 170 HP , 2.0 JTDM 140 HP or 2.0 JTDM 170 HP. It comes with 18″ rims (the same of QV version) with Brembo brakes, darken stop lights, matt external mirrors; sporty pedals, leather seats with red stitching, among others. A good way to keep shaking the market in a moment when all segment sales are droping. This year is expected to be really hard for Alfa Romeo’s sales figures as they just count on 2 models and Giulietta one is now having problems outside Europe with the arrival of new competitors. In Italy this car should take the comand of C-Segment sales, thanks to a wider range of versions and GPL options, now more appreciated by Italians. YTD sales figures indicate the Giulietta is just 2.951 units behind the Golf, but it seems this gap will reduce as the Giulietta was in May, for second month in a row, the best selling compact in Italy.

Fiat Linea 2013

Finally from Turkey arrives the last news. The Linea, Turkey’s  best selling car, has received its first facelift since it was introduced in 2007. The make up affects the outside and inside design and allows it to look much better and elegant. Now it comes with a rear spoiler and inside there is a new design for the steering wheel and redesigned instrument panel, and a new dashboard. Engines don’t change: 1.4 Fire with 77HP, 1.3 MultiJet 95 HP and 1.6 MultiJet 105 HP. Inside the whole dashboard and panel were changed and took from the Punto Evo but adding better looking materials. Fiat produces the Linea along with local producer, Tofas, and this year it has become country’s best selling cars beating its rivals from Renault, the Thalia and Fluence. Jan-Apr sales figures indicate that 8.710 units of this sedan (C-segment in Turkey) were delivered, up 13% in a whole market that drops 19%. Eventhough the good result, it is practically the unique successful model of the company as the Albea sedan (B-segment) is getting really old and its sales falling dramatically. Turkey is an important market that is expected to grow to interesting levels in the next years.

Fiat Linea interior

Source: Automotive News, FGA, Auto Esporte

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Opinion: Alfa must stay

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There is one Golden rule in business which says that you should never reveil your real intentions especially when it is about something you really want. It has been a constant since negotiation has been part of society. People, companies and countries have been doing it in order to get whatever they want. Car industry is not the exception. Although the big deals became popular about 20 years ago, all car makers that still exist had to negociate to grow. Nowadays the fact of closing a deal means to survive.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Currently on production for C-segment

Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Currently on production for C-segment

Three years ago, Fiat Group Automobiles signed a deal with American government to get a part of troubled Chrysler in exchange of technological transfer. This smart play allowed Italians to finally access to the American market with an important market share. Meanwhile Fiat’s board was dealing with another problem: Lancia and Alfa Romeo’s sales. Both companies have been loosing market share in Europe during the last ten years. Lancia, strongly dependant on Italian market, got its first life vest from Chrysler. But Alfa Romeo was in a worse situation: even though is less unpopular than Lanchia in the rest of Europe, its model range was being reduced as the demand was dropping dramatically. But ‘suddenly’ appeared Volkswagen.

Alfa 4C Concept presented in Geneva 2011. Available from 2013

Alfa 4C Concept presented in Geneva 2011. Available from 2013

Current financial crisis has been the scenario for three different situations: those car makers that finally died, Saab, Pontiac, Mercury; those struggling to survive, most; and those car manufacturers making useful of it, VW. Germans from Volkswagen keep a sales growth despite the deep crisis in its native Europe. This good moment allowed Mr. Ferdinand Piech, chairman of the supervisory board of Volkswagen Group, to look for more brands to increase its size and power. What Mr. Piech forgot was the golden rule: he made public his intentions to take over Alfa Romeo. And he has not done it once: more than three or four times he has repeated VW wants Alfa to be part of it.

Alfa Romeo MiTo. Photo by es.autoblog.com

Alfa Romeo MiTo. Photo by es.autoblog.com

Behind this public statements, there is for sure his intention to destabilize Alfa, its immediate future (coming plans and models) and generate a debate among Italians. Is it convenient to sell the Biscione to Germans? Can’t really Fiat take it to the road of success? some people say that if it is necessary for the brand to survive, the sale to Germans should be done. Other think Alfa is Italian and must continue being so. Personally I think Fiat guys ce la fanno: they can and must do it. This is not the first big crisis they have had. Fiat people are really prepared to face problems: two world wars, oil crisis, quality problems in late 90s and the begining of 00s. All of those periods have been tests they have been able to performed quite well. Besides the new scenario for Fiat after Chrysler’s takes over, offers an excellent perspective for Alfa as it opens them world’s second largest market, while they keep working in other fronts such as Asia. Fiat has the know how of making awesome shapes and great technologies to project excellent Alfas. They have the factories to do it. And the most important: the people.

1997 Alfa 156, a big success for the company. Photo by drive.com.au

1997 Alfa 156, a big success for the company. Photo by drive.com.au

And they must do it. Fiat-Chrysler has to demonstrate the world they can deal with this situation of taking Alfa to become a global profitable brand. It’s a matter of telling the industry that capability and will are part of their people. It is a message to people in which they say is just a matter of time. The problem is that time is short and expensive, and therefore they must hurry: Alfa has just two models on production and several plans (return to the US market, futury sporty cars, SUV, etc.) but they need to become real as soon as possible as Germans are gaining the world, while Koreans keep pushing and Japanese defend their empire.

Alfa Romeo has to be part of Fiat Group because Fiat belongs to Alfa as Alfa belongs to Fiat. They need each other. Alfa’s potential of offering a big range of sporty Italian models is a big opportunity to conquer not only America but the Middle East, the rising rich China and Russia. Alfa is part of Italy and therefore it must stay in Italy making use of what only Italians can do: the ‘Made in Italy’ touch with the passion they have for making cars.

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Breaking news: Alfa and Mazda to share platform

Alfa 2uettottanta. A possible anticipation of future Alfa Spyder. Photo by netcarshow.com

Alfa 2uettottanta. A possible anticipation of future Alfa Spyder. Photo by netcarshow.com

Mazda and Alfa Romeo have announced Wednesday they have signed an “intention” agreement to share a platform for their next MX-5 and Spyder, both with rear wheel drive. The press release indicates that by the year 2015, Mazda Hiroshima’s factory would be ready to start exporting both cars while both companies could be sharing costs of development and production. It is well known that Mazda, as indepent car group, is facing financial problems and needs urgent help from other car manufacturers to develop its future platforms. On the other hand, Mr. Marchionne from Fiat has said Fiat needs an Asian partner to become more global or at least to share costs for the development of future models. As Alfa Romeo needs urgently a small and sportive car, and Mazda has been doing it pretty good with its successful MX-5, both companies could join forces to get the next generation of both models. Of course, engines and final design should be indepent as most of production of this new Alfa is suposed to go to America, where this kind of cars is more popular (C Sport segment sold 5.674 cars in 2011, while D Sport one sold 225.939 units). A good start for a possible future alliance.

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Alfa Romeo: to be or not to be

Alfa Romeo is perhaps Fiat’s most interesting brand. Its sportive soul and tradition have been always part of it, no matter its results in terms of sales and profits. A brand that is loved or hated, but does not generate indifference because of its particular history and the models it has offered up today, have placed it in the center of discussion. Today the question about it is if this great name will be able or not to continue with its glorious past in a really complicated future.

If the discussion takes place looking at today’s situation, certainly most of people would say there is nothing to do about. Alfa just offers 2 models, with only 1 body option, which are MiTo 3 doors and Giulietta 5 doors. None of them lack of beauty and sportiveness. But are not enough to reach big numbers. Only Giulietta had a good start which has been severely affected by new generation of 1 Series from BMW and will be even more when new Mercedes A Class, new Audi A3 and new Volvo V40 will be available. It means Alfa is moving slower and so its sales numbers: just in Italy (40% of total sales), its registrations have constantly decreased since July/11 and its market share dropped from 3.33% in 2011 to 3.12% in the first 4 months of 2012. In a market which is dramatically falling 20% (Jan-Apr/12), Giulietta’s registrations are 25% down, while MiTo’s 42%! And that’s only in Italy, but is happening in all Europe.

However, the discussion must be done taking into account future plans and the potential Alfa has. It is well known by everyone that VW is very interested in acquiring this company. They have said the potential it has worth it and there so many things to do with its good image. Something that Mr. Marchionne has always said: Alfa is a key player in the group because of what it means. Therefore, the analysis should look forward to coming years when more models will arrive and hopefully with a different approach. Alfa does not need only D and E segment cars but also a strong and unique SUV (or more). And the most important: positionate them in a different way in order to offer a sporty familiar car with great performance and handling and so, in a different subsegment from Germans. That is to become the new Abarth for upper segments, in which more clients would buy them because of unique driving sensations, exclusive design shapes and because it is an Alfa.

By doing so, Alfa could easily reach 500.000 units by the year 2016, specially if Fiat guys do it well in America, increase market share in Europe and Italy and explore interesting luxury car markets such as China, Middle East and Russia.