The upcoming Alfa Romeo compact executive sedan set to challenge the likes of the BMW 3 Series will apparently be unveiled in two days’ time on June 24 at Expo Milano 2015, and will make use of technology from both Maserati and – strangely enough – Ferrari, according to Autocar UK.
Alfa Romeo and Maserati boss Harald Wester said that the brand will serve as a counterpoint to the staid efficiency of its premium German rivals, said to be “mostly cold and clinical…these cars have no soul.” Instead, it’s aiming to trade on character and charm, much like Maserati today.
Very little is said to be known about the new car because it’s being secretly developed in a standalone facility near Modena, but Wester told the British publication that the company’s first new model would be a “mid-size” sedan – it’s due to go on sale next spring. He also gave strong indication that upcoming Alfas will not be equipped with the latest semi-autonomous driving tech, saying it’s out-of-step with its “soulful” character.
The long-awaited replacement to the stunning-but-disappointing 159 is expected to be rear-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive optional in many markets. While mostly new structurally, it will share some elements with the Maserati Ghibli, and has been tuned specifically to at least match the handling benchmarks of class leaders, despite the company’s desire to differentiate itself from the Teutonic competition.
Engines will include a “high-output four-cylinder engine developed for Alfa Romeo” to replace the 1750 TBi currently used in the 4C, tipped to produce up to 298 hp. There will also be a V6 engine also “specially developed for Alfa Romeo,” based on the mill of the rumoured Ferrari Dino. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced in April that it is investing €500mil (RM2.1bil) on building new Alfa engines at its Termoli facility.
The new “Tipo 952” is said to be crucial to the latest relaunch of Alfa Romeo, which Wester admitted has “over promised and under delivered” in the past. It needs to have both beauty and character, and has to be able to “put the driver at the centre, provide an exceptional driving experience while being inclusive and egalitarian, and display authentic heritage,” qualities deemed important to the brand’s vehicles.
“These are not cars to be driven, but to drive,” Wester said. “We want owners to feel that they’re an integral and indispensable part of the machine. The dynamic element is an important portion of what we do.”
The sedan – which according to Automotive News Europe won’t be called the Giulia as previously believed – will be joined by a Sportwagon variant as well as eight new models by 2018, including two compact cars, a full-size sedan, two SUVs and a “specialty” offering like the 4C; all of which are tasked to grow sales from 74,000 units last year to 400,000 units eventually. The smaller MiTo supermini is expected to be dropped.
“We’re living in a world of fierce competition,” Wester said. “What is absolutely clear is that every car must be significantly better than the target competitors. But the worst strategy is to position against another product. It’s about finding out what the customers want.”
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Alfa was such a good brand in Malaysia. Then the monkeys took over. Sime Darby messed the brand until today, Alfa is completely dead.
This what happens when you get a kampung brain to run a good brand.
Habis la Altis
Abes la Vios
Alfa Romeo? Good brand? Name me one country its doing well now.
The 156 was a good car and a real beuty. Hope the new Alfa will have that DNA and work out on reliability.
the true Fact is, Italians always have the nice butts..
That 159 doesnt look out of place if parked side by side with latest 3 series or c class or a4.such a beauty…
Indeed. I was at an open house party in PJ sometime back and i could just stare at a white 159 parked across the road for hours. Loved it.
You sure cannot afford a Bentley, pity.
Can’t comprehend simple English? What a pity.
The headlights are outdated
The new Alfa exec’s sedan styling must live up to its hype – especially on the handling (RWD) and on the styling department (sportscar styling).
There’s hope but in Malaysia, under Sime Darby this brand is probably gonna die a slow and painful death.
Only Ford has fared well but buyers of other makes under SD are complaining of exorbitant servicing bills. I know i’m not speaking for ALL customers of SD but from my group of my friends, I see and hear more negative feedback than positive ones.
What do you guys think of car companies here in Malaysia? i know DRB and UMW are just too greedy and selfish to begin with.
Alfa is no longer under SD.
For the most part, not too sure about Ford, but I can confirm that Hyundai servicing costs isn’t cheap – horridly overpriced and under-delivered.
BMW by AB is hopeless as well in terms of service quality from my past experience, but in terms of pricing, BMW in general isn’t as bad, with other dealers and AB. Quite competitive in comparison to the rest – sure not Jepunis level of cheap, but cheaper than what Euromobil or C&C charges for Audi and Merc. But that is also under the consideration that BMW is not fully run by Sime. Porsche pricing not too sure, but they have a 4 year warranty and 4 year service plan, which pretty much covers the first owners fine… Never really heard much drama from there so should be OK…
Oh Ya… SD relinquished Alfa as reported in paultan.
Who else apart from NAZA and DRB are willing to take up this brand?
RWD Alfas, bring it on! Though I hope when they say their cars will have soul, does not equal to temperamental cars that breakdown ever so often.
I think we have reached a point where it is harder to build a clunker than a decent car as most parts on a car that are not internally developed a supplied by the same 30 or so multinational suppliers anyway..’m not too worried about the car as i’m quite sure it will be a stunner.
The real challenge for AlFa here and the world in general is to achieve the economies of scale and ensure that the supply chain has adequate supply of Alfa parts to keep costs to a sane level ..and their distribution and aftersales is adequate if not on par with class leaders
I’m glad that more players are coming into the exec market as that means more choice for all of us.. With Jaguar’s resurgence..Infiniti, Lexus and Volvo’s relentless effort..the big 3 will have some proper competition going into the next decade..exciting times ahead!
Wow…n not a single spyshot available…
The car is a beau as long as it doesn’t breakdown. The lines of the car draws to one’s eyes instantly that even a Bentley dun do.
what exactly does stunning-but-disappointing mean?