Fiat Group Lowers 2012 Sales Estimate by Half a Million Units

A funny t-shirt slogan reads “aim low, achieve your targets, avoid disappointment”. But it would probably be best if you didn’t give it as a Christmas present to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne.

The reason is that the Italian group has lowered its 2012 sales forecast of 2.7 million units by a substantial amount; the new target for next year is 2.2 million, 500,000 units short of the original estimate presented in the group's 5-year plan.

The good news is that its partner, Chrysler, is expected to hit its 2.4-million sales target. Adding up the numbers brings the Fiat-Chrysler combined sales projection for 2012 to 4.6 million units.

Read more »

Rare Find: Fully Restored 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal V8 up for Sale on eBay

Looking over at eBay's listings today, we discovered a very rare Alfa Romeo sports coupe up for sale.

The car is a 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal of which only around 3,900 examples were built over a period of seven years from 1970 to 1977, and none were officially imported to North America as the coupe didn't meet U.S. and Canadian emission control requirements at the time.

The Italian sports car was designed by the great Marcello Gandini of Bertone fame and was originally presented as a concept at the 1967 Montreal Expo in Canada before making it into production as the Montreal in 1977.

Read more »

Alfa Romeo Giulietta by Maserati to be Used as a Courtesy Car for the Trident Brand's Dealerships

Collaborations between two companies that belong in the same group is a common practice. However, platform or parts sharing, or even badge engineering, is not the only form of a partnership.

In 2008, Ferrari chose a limited edition of the Fiat 500 as a courtesy car for its customers. Now, two more brands of the Fiat group have emulated the Ferrari-Fiat move. Maserati has chosen Alfa Romeo's C-segment hatchback, the Giulietta, as a courtesy car for its clients in Europe.

Read more »

Marchionne: Maserati will Launch Three New Models Very Soon, Doesn’t Rule Out Alfa Sale if the Price is Right

The Fiat Group may have its share of problems, especially in Europe, yet CEO Sergio Marchionne recently announced that its second most prestigious brand, Maserati, will soon launch no less than three new models.

“Maserati will increase its volumes by having three cars”, said Marchionne after the CBI conference in London last week. According to British publication Car Magazine, Marchionne said that these would be the Kubang SUV, the Quattroporte replacement and a smaller four-door sedanthat will compete in the E-segment against the likes of the Jaguar XF and BMW 5-Series.

Read more »

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Rendering: Should the Fiat Group Build it?

You know that there's a lot of interest in a model when independent designers begin to imagine different versions and body styles of a car that has not yet entered production.

Case in point the Alfa Romeo 4C mid-engined sports car that remains in show car form for now but is slated to reach dealerships around the world –including North America- as early as 2013.

The artists over at Teamspeed created their vision of what an open-top Spider version of 4C would look like. We think that the rendering is pretty much spot on and would make for a very interesting addition to the Alfa 4C's lineup.

Read more »

Dodge's Detroit Motor Show-Bound Sedan Model will Not be Called the Hornet

[2006 Dodge Hornet Concept pictured above]

We've known for a while now that Dodge plans to introduce a new compact sedan model based on a Fiat platform that will replace the Caliber at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next January.

While the company is keeping most of its cards close to its chest, Reid Biglund, head of the Dodge brand told the Detroit News we'll find out more in the coming weeks including the car's name which he says won't be Hornet as some media outlets suggested. "Hornet will not be the name," said Biglund.

Read more »

Guangzhou Automobile Says New Fiat Joint Venture will Build Alfa Romeo Cars in China

The already crowded Chinese car market will soon welcome a new and ambitious competitor as local manufacturer Guangzhou Automobile Group has completed plans to set up a new joint venture with the Fiat Group named Guangqi Fiat.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of this week's Guangzhou Auto Show, the Chinese company's president, Zeng Qinghong, said that Guangqi Fiat will start production as early as July of 2012.

More interestingly, Qinghong revealed that the joint venture would also build Alfa Romeo cars for the domestic market.

Read more »

Report: New Alfa Romeo-Derived / U.S. Made Dodge Compact Sedan to Debut at 2012 Detroit Show

A new U.S. market compact sedan to be developed by Fiat and built by Chrysler is set to make its debut appearance at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in the beginning of next year, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The as-of-yet unnamed model will be badged as Dodge and powered by a Fiat-derived 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. It’ll also do 40 mpg combined, or at least it will if Fiat wants to net itself a further 5% of Chrysler from Mr. Monopoly Uncle Sam.

Read more »

Monstrous Paramount Marauder Armored Vehicle to Star in First Episode of Top Gear Season 17

In just a few hours from now, Top Gear will air the first episode of season 17 on BBC. During the past two weeks, we got a taste of what Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond have in store for us this year through two teaser clips.

In one of those trailers, we saw a large off-road-like vehicle playing the role of a monster truck on a white Alfa Romeo 156 and an older generation Renault Megane sedan.

It turns out that the vehicle is a mine protected armored truck called Marauder from South African company Paramount Group and the driver behind the steering wheel is Richard Hammond. We were contacted by Paramount Group who told us that the Marauder will be featured in tonight's first episode of Top Gear Season 17.

Read more »

VIDEO: Top Gear Teases Season 17 with New Trailer

In a couple of weeks, BBC will begin airing the 17th season of its highly popular Top Gear TV series. To get our engines running, the media channel released the first promotional trailer of the new series teasing the new automotive adventures of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

The 30 second-long trailer kicks off with Clarkson driving the all-new McLaren MP4-12C on the wet and continues with Hammond in the passenger seat of a MINI WRC racer. Oh, and there’s also a scene with an odd looking red truck...obliterating an Alfa Romeo 156 sedan and a Renault Megane saloon. For the rest, follow the break to watch the trailer

Read more »

Alfa Romeo 4C Sports Concept Heading to Goodwood Festival of Speed

The new Alfa Romeo 4C Sports Concept will receive its UK public debut at the rapidly approaching 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place from July 1 to 3.

Seen for the first time at the Geneva Salon in March, Italy’s answer to the Lotus Elise boasts a lightweight chassis with power coming from a mid-mounted 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 200 ponies to the rear wheels. It can complete the 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint in less than 5 seconds and reach a top speed of 155mph (250km/h). Production is set to start in 2012.

Read more »

Alfa Romeo Vittorio Jano Design Study for a 159 Replacement

The Alfa Romeo Vittorio Jano concept sedan is the brainchild of independent Italian designer Marco Procaccini. Named after Vittorio Jano, an Italian race car designer of Hungarian descent that worked at Alfa Romeo from the 1920s through the 1930s, Procaccini's proposal is a sporty-looking saloon with a five-door fastback body style and seating for four.

Created as a direct replacement for Alfa Romeo's BMW 3-series-fighting 159 sedan, the Vittorio Jano measures 4,650mm in length, 1,830mm in width and 1,400mm in height. The designer said he plans to follow up the sedan with a Sport Wagon study. Gallery and video after the jump.

Read more »

Artist Places Alfa Romeo P2 and 8C Competizione on Metal Sculpture to Celebrate Brand's 100th Anniversary

The art piece you see pictured above was created to celebrate Alfa Romeo's centenary at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex (2-4 July). Designed by artist Gerry Judah, it is located on the front lawn of the Goodwood House.

The Centenary sculpture showcases two of the Italian marque's most important cars and at the same time, the first and most recent Alfa Romeo to feature an eight-cylinder engine: the famous 1925 World Championship winning Alfa P2 Grand Prix racer and the modern day Alfa 8C Competizione. The two cars are placed inside a red metal structure that represents Alfa's famous Cloverleaf.

Read more »

Alfa Romeo 6C 3200 Cento Study with 156 GTA Heart

[Updated with an official statement] Just landed in our mailbox is this teaser sketch of the Alfa Romeo 6C 3200 Cento spider created by a Dutch/Italian design company called "1754 Fuori dell' ordinario" to celebrate the automaker's one hundred year anniversary.

Details remain sketchy for now but the design firm said that the styling was inspired from Alfa's historic racers and production roadster models, while the 156 GTA's 250HP 3.2-liter V6 would be the power of choice of the spider were to be produced. We've sent an email to the company for more information, so we'll update the story as soon as we hear back from them.

Read more »

Alfa Romeo Fans Celebrates Brand's 100th Anniversary with Disco Volante Sculpture

Alfa Romeo is celebrating its centenary this year and the city of Milan is paying tribute to the historic carmaker by staging four days of events from 24 to 27 June involving the City Council, Fiera Milano Expo, the Monza Race Track and the Alfa Romeo Museum.

One of the highlights of the event was the unveiling of a bronze sculpture donated by the Registro Italiano Alfa Romeo or 'RIAR', an association that brings together more than 1500 vintage Alfa owners, and numerous fans of the brand from around the world.

Read more »

New Alfa Romeo Giulietta Brochure

We've already brought you heaps of images of Alfa Romeo's new Giulietta hatch (click here for the gallery), but we thought you might also be interested in the car's official brochure. Unfortunately, the English version of the brochure was only 6-pages long, so we opted to upload photos of the Italian edition which is more comprehensive. Follow the jump to check it out.

Read more »

Aussie Cops get Alfa Romeo MiTo Police Car

We won't go as far as calling it an interceptor, but Sydney's Rose Bay Police is the latest law enforcement force in Australia to get an Alfa Romeo police car. The MiTo is the most recent in a series of cars provided by the Italian automaker to police forces around Australia.

Read more »

Foose-Made Alfa Romeo Carabo Replica Found on eBay

Originally made for Alfa Romeo by Bertone, the (real) Carabo was built atop a chassis donated by Alfa's 33 Stradale. Packing a 230-horsepower V8, it debuted at the 1968 Paris Motor Show. But this isn't it.

Don't worry, this isn't some tacky, Fiero-based kit car, either. The guy behind this replica wanted to purchase the original from Bertone (so the ad says) but the design firm wasn't willing to part with the masterpiece, so he decided to say to hell with that and have his own built...by Sam Foose. For those who just got out of bed, that would be Chip Foose's father.

Read more »

New Alfa Romeo Spider Design Study

Here are the names of the three designers behind this Alfa Romeo Spider: Alberto Gaiani, Massimo Paparella and Michela Zedda. They're from the Politecnico di Milano University, and this is the result of a project in conjunction with Alfa.

If ever built, this Spider would likely have an FR layout, a power cloth top, and retain the trademark Alfa nose. From these shots, it looks like a Pontiac Solstice / Saturn Sky from Alfa, a higher-luxury would-be Miata hunter.

Samuel Codegoni, a teacher at the university, explains the design like this: "One of the main ideas that drove this project was to express a sense of tension in action. This decidedly moves away from the first production model takes as a reference: the iconic Duetto of the 1960's - the second reference was the Alfa Spider from the '90s, with its typical wedge-shaped profile."

Read more »

Alfa Romeo Debuts 2011MY 159 Sedan and Sportwagon

If the Fiat Group remains committed to its 2010-2014 product plan, then the successor to today's Alfa Romeo 159, the new Giulia, will make its appearance on both sides of the Atlantic in 2012. Until then, Alfa will keep tweaking the current 159 with incremental improvements to sustain sales in Europe.

Following the recent introduction of the new 200HP 1.75-liter turbocharged petrol and 170HP 2.0-liter JTDM diesel into the range, Alfa Romeo has now announced the release of a 2011MY 159 that will be marketed in most European countries beginning from next month.

Read more »