SUPRISE! Not. Alfa Romeo's All-New SUV Will Be Getting...

There's a couple of things that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' (FCA) Alfa Romeo division is good at doing:

First, it's great at building highly emotional products that spark something within a buyer.

Second, it's exceptional at saying a vehicle will launch during year "X," and then push it back to year "Y." No one can even come close to touching the Italian auto manufacturer in this regard.

I guess Luigi and company are just too damn busy to get their respective act together. I wonder if the Alfa Romeo Giulia will even make it to the U.S.'s shores at this rate...

According to reports, the all-new Alfa sport-utility vehicle will now arrive in 2017. And, the company's full product offensive that was supposed to hit the ground running by 2018 will now be fulfilled come 2020.

We suggest you don't hold your breath. You may turn blue.

Alfa Romeo has confirmed plans to launch its SUV in 2017, also announcing a planned reduction in R&D, manufacturing and product investment in 2018.

Alfa Romeo was actually due to launch a total of eight different models by 2018, but has now announced that its new product range in its entirety won't be on sale until 2020...

Read Article

MDarringer - 1/28/2016 9:49:10 PM

-1 Boost

Mazda was the answer, but then Sergio promised at all Alfa Romeos would be built in Italy. Imagine the following Alfa Romeo line up inserted between Fiat and Maserati in the near-premium segment:

Spider = Miata
Giorgio = 3 sedan
GTV = Mazdaspeed3
Giulia = 6
Montreal = CX9
Sportiva = CX7
Matta = CX5

With the exception of Giorgio the above are heritage names.

Agent00R - 1/29/2016 9:18:08 AM

-8 Boost

Good call but seeing how busted the Fiat 124 is — honestly, who cares how it drives — I am not sure the FCA/Mazda partnership is the answer.

Just me, though.

TomM - 1/29/2016 5:01:34 PM

+2 Boost

Agent OOR - I agree that Mazda is not the answer for Mazda.

The real question is - why do we car about ALFA - at all. In the USA - there is no clamoring for more Alpha vehicles - the one they do sell here doesn't sell much. And Fiat also sells few cars here - as Fiats.

The longer they wait with the Giulia the older the design will get - and the less competitive it will be. AS far as the rest - they are on Cadillacs schedule for producing CUVs - but nobody really cares - there are LOTS of more interesting options than waiting for an unreliable FIAT or ALFA. For me - they can wait forever - I am not ever going to own either brand.

MDarringer - 1/29/2016 7:27:05 PM

+1 Boost

GM should acquire Jeep.

GM should then acquire Maserati and sell them in Cadillac (traditional American luxury)/Maserati (emotional "Italian" luxury)/Corvette/Jeep dealers.

TomM - 1/30/2016 8:14:26 PM

+1 Boost

Sorry MDarringer - but GM does not need any more divisions right now - and certainly has no need for anything FCA has. Jeep is on a roll right now - but as FCA is showing - they cannot produce anything on a reasonable schedule - nor are much of what they produce of any significance. Maybe the new Pacifica might be an exception -- but they are not producing it yet either. They have yet to bring out a new Chrysler 300 - the last time it was changed - it was hardly touched. THey are already bailing on the Dart and 200. And the longer lead times will eventually catch up to them.

Meanwhile GM already has small, medium, and large NEW platform CUVs coming out right now. AND they will be using GMC to counter Jeep off road performance. Frankly - if I were GM and were considering another brand - I would move all the GMC 4x4s to the HUMMER name - which would be a logical SUCCESSOR to the jeep - and they would not be able to produce enough of them to meet demand.

MDarringer - 1/31/2016 9:54:40 AM

+2 Boost

Sorry TomM, but GM is struggling like HELL to get traction in the premium market and it's failing miserably aside from the Escalade. Adding Jeep as a bespoke premium SUV brand to be sold along side Cadillac, Corvette (as a brand), and Maserati above them could very easily work.

New Maseratis would obviously be more Italianate version of Cadillacs.