New Dodge Dart hints of Alfa Romeo DNA [with video]
Alfa Romeo has announced its return to the shores of the United States several times now but fans have also been frustrated after it has pushed back its date of comeback. Somehow we can say now that Alfa Romeo has landed again in the US in the form of the Dodge Dart that was recently unwrapped at the Detroit Motor Show.
The Dodge Dart is the resurrection of the midsize car that became popular back in the ’70s which makes use of the platform that serves as the foundation of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The new Dodge compact sedan is the first product of the cooperation between Fiat and Chrysler since the take over of Fiat back in 2009.
The design of the 2013 Dart does not take the lines of its Italian cousin since it is a 4-door sedan and not a 5-door hatchback. The vehicle is also wider and longer compared to the Giulietta. The crosshair grille also shows a very Dodge character plus the rear lights which takes inspiration from the Dodge Charger.
The Dodge Dart is 4,672 mm in length, 1,830 mm in width, and 1,465 mm in height. The wheelbase is pegged at 2,703 mm. Looking at these numbers, this ride is very much similar to the size of the newest 3-Series from BMW.
The interior of the Dodge Dart makes use of soft-touch, high quality materials plus a high tech reconfigurable cluster display of gauges among other features. The seven-inch display can be customized the driver to include a navigation system showing assist for every turn, eco-meter, audio, compass, temperatures, fuel economy, and analog or digital gauges.
It can also be setup with a media center making use of an 8.4 inch Uconnect touch screen that has built in features like radio, iPod control, navigation, blue tooth, weather updates, and other interesting stuff.
Buyers can also choose from twelve body colors, 14 combinations of color and trim for the interior, and seven options for the rims of the vehicle.
The Dart will have three options for the 4-cylinder gas engine ranging from 160 bhp to 184 bhp.
Here is a good video to give you a sneak peek of the 2013 Dodge Dart :
Tags: Alfa Romeo, Alfa Romeo DNA, Dodge Dart
Alfa Romeo 4C set to launch by 2013; tag price below £45,000
Alfa Romeo recently released an update about the ongoing works with the Alfa 4C. The team of engineers is pretty confident that they can bring a prototype out on the asphalt for testing by middle of next year and the final version to roll out on showrooms by 2013. Alfa Romeo is trying to keep the tag price below £45,000.
The build for the Alfa Romeo 4C is actually being handled by a small team formed out of the main product development structure of the company. The management loved the initial design concept that they gave it an immediate go so a car can be displayed during the Geneva show last March.
The concept car presented last March made use of a carbon tub by Dallara, a company which also helped with Alfa 8C, Bugatti Veyron, and the KTM X-bow. The production version of the 4C will use an in-house architecture designed by the team of Alfa Romeo. The final output will make use of a carbon fiber center tub and aluminum frames for the front and tail portion. It will be cheaper but a bit heavier.
The carbon fiber skin is ruled out since it will be very difficult to do production wise plus it will be really expensive. The Alfa 4C will have an SMC skin which is a light form of the GRP.
The design team of Alfa Romeo ensures though that even with the change of materials for the production version, the car will still look very much like the concept car. The interior of the Alfa 4C will also be true to what was presented with the concept vehicle. The Alfa 4C interior will appear simple and lightweight with separation of the driver and passenger and the dial pod.
Alfa Romeo is also working on the down force of the production version to give it a very good grip. The secret though will not be on the aerodynamics but more on the lightness of the car. The engineers want to keep it at around 900 kilograms on the scales and at around 4 meters in length.
Alfa is also looking to install a 230 horsepower engine which gives it a two thumbs up for a very reasonable price.
Alfa Romeo wants to focus on North America, Europe next in line
Fiat wants to focus on the relaunch for the Alfa Romeo line in North America before they crawl back up the European market to restore their credibility as a brand. This was the statement of CEO Sergio Marchionne who also shared that the task at hand for Alfa Romeo is the toughest among his list of goals upon taking the helm at Fiat seven years ago.
Alfa Romeo is expected to tap an executive to spearhead its operations in the United States before the end of the year prior to their planned relaunch in 2013. Alfa Romeo exited the US market back in 1995 but market tests done recently showed positive results for the brand. The market pulse have convinced the management of Alfa to first focus on North America before crawling back into Europe.
Marchionne pointed out that the desirability indications of the Alfa Romeo as a brand is still positive despite being absent in the market for quite some time now. Alfa is still among the well known car brands across the globe so the company wants to take advantage of the eagerness of the market.
The mother company foresees Alfa Romeo to deliver around 400,000 units annually to its global consumers as soon as 2014. The target is quite on the ambitious side as the sales reports reflect an average of about 150,000 per year since the ’80s.
In North America, Fiat sees Alfa Romeo to roll out 85,000 vehicles by 2014 which the CEO considers as a realistic goal.
The relaunch of Alfa Romeo will have the following lineup up for grabs the rear drive compact Alfa Romeo 4C and the SUV which was developed in collaboration with Jeep. The role of the 4C in the US relaunch is vital as it rekindles the love of the market for the Alfa Spider made famous by the film The Graduate that showed in the 1960s.
Alfa Romeo will also have the 6C during the 2014 relaunch of the brand. This will be the flagship saloon lifting its DNA from the platform of the Chrysler 300. It will have the tamer version of the V63.6L Pentastar powerplant under its hood. The lineup will also include a new version of the Spider, the 5-door Mito.
Fiat is also expanding its network to around 150 dealerships before the end of the year.
Tags: Alfa Romeo, Alfa Romeo 4C, Chrysler 300, Fiat
Alfa Romeo unveils line of products until 2014; next generation V6 RWD Saloon in the works
During a recent conference of investors earlier this month, Alfa Romeo presented the lay out of new vehicle lines that are due for roll out until 2014. The Alfa Romeo brand has the strongest potential under the umbrella of the Fiat and Chrysler groups to reach potential markets globally. Sergio Marchionne, the brand’s topman know of the brand’s full potentials that is why he does not want to give in to clamors of companies like Volkswagen to buy Alfa Romeo.
The product plan of Alfa Romeo plans to launch their “brand igniters” primarily anchored on two new cars. These new vehicles is expected to catapult the sales of Alfa Romeo up and also improve its image on the market.
First in line is the 4C Supercar from Alfa Romeo which boasts of a carbonfiber body and a mid engine configuration. This car will also mark the return of the brand to the shores of the US. The 4C supercar is not expected to roll out in volume but the two seater with the state of the art technology will serve to remind the market of Alfa Romeo’s credentials and sport history.
The second car is the 2014 Spider roadster which according to insiders will have an excellent power-weight ratio, sporty driving attitude, and distinctive design lines.
Another important product in the pipeline is the next gen Giulia saloon and its sportwagon version. This car will be tapping into the Giulietta platform. It is expected to takeover the place of the 159 come 2014. Alfa Romeo will also field an SUV available to their global market to replace its mid-size premium model which will stop production by 2012. The latter will be meeting the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series head on in the luxury car market.
Amid all these plans is the new Alfa Romeo 1.8 turbocharged powerplant capable of producing 300 horsepower that will be used in a wide range of vehicles.
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Alfa Romeo to unveil 4C in Frankfurt [with video]
Everyone is awaiting for the opening of the annual Frankfurt motor show this September, and Alfa Romeo is one of the brands that may be doing an exciting unveiling. Alfa will be officially unwrapping the Alfa Romeo 4C.
The Italian carmaker recently released a teaser of the 4C on their Facebook page which was initially introduced as a concept car at the Geneva Salon.
According to the topman of Chrysler and Fiat groups, Sergio Marchionne, the 4C will be rolling onto dealerships in Europe by the first half of next year while some sample units getting on to U.S. shore before the end of 2012. Consumers in the US might after all see the production version of the Alfa Romeo 4C, or if not Alfa might field a 4C roadster version or even a more aggressive version.
In Geneva this year, the 4C concept was presented having a 1.75L turbocharged petrol engine equipped with direct injection. This engine is paired with twin clutch Alfa TCT transmission. The concept rear wheel drive 4C only weighs around 1,873 pounds with a power weight ratio of 4 kg per horsepower and can speed up from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour below 5 seconds. Top speed is pegged at 255 kph.
Watch the promo video below of the Alfa Romeo 4C:
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Fiat-Chrysler Partnership to Make 280,000 Compact SUV units a year
Renowned Italian automaker, Fiat S.p.A. joins forces with American car company, Chrysler Group LLC to produce about 280,000 units a year of compact SUV models for the brands Alfa Romeo and Jeep. The partnership’s activities will kick off in 2012 and will be based in the Italian automaker’s plant in Turin.
Just recently, Fiat S.p.A. has announced its approval of the $1.78 billion budget that will be used to ready the factory where the very first SUV will be born in the 101 years history of Alfa. This will also be where a new Jeep model unit will be made, in replacement of the former Patriot / Compass models.
It is speculated that the production output will start showing by the latter part of year 2012. This was confirmed by Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of the joint Fiat-Chrysler team.
According to the partnership’s spokesperson, the new Alfa SUV model will be going head to head with Mercedes-Benz GLK, Audi Q5, and the BMW X3. Marchionne also adds that the Mirafiori, Turin plant is the sole factory where the new Jeep model will be produced.
Out of the initial 280,000 units to me made in the Turin plant will be sold in the European market while the other half will be sold in North America. The new Alfa model units carry a big weight since it’s part of the Fiat’s re-launch in North America that is scheduled in early 2013.
An estimated 15,000 Jeep units are expected to be made in a year while Alfa units are expected to be somewhere around 100,000 to 130,000.
Tags: Alfa Romeo, car news, new Alfa Romeo SUV
Alfa Romeo maps out Sales Plan for the United States
In a press interview, Fiat’s head honcho Sergio Marchionne shared his U.S. sales plans for the Alfa brand. In line with Marchionne’s goal to make Alfa a “full-line premium carmaker,” he revealed that an full line-up of Alfas with be launched in the U.S. in the latter part of 2012.
Marchionne mentioned a brand new Chrysler-built small SUV will be the first batch of Alfas that will be sold in the US along with the new Guilia saloon and estate models. In late 2011, five brand new Guilia models will be launched in Europe to replace the 159 executive car model while the Guiletta-based small SUVs will launch export in Europe by 2012. Another five-door Mito version will be exported to the US by 2013 in sync with its launch in Europe.
A rear-drive two-seater roadster is said to start production in 2013 in the U.S. with the assembly plant yet to be announced. In 2014, a larger Jeep Liberty-based SUV will be produced in the U.S. under Chrysler and will be launched in Europe as well. The remodeled Guiletta hatchback will also make its debut in 2014.
Fiat’s Marchionne mentioned that the Alfa brand is expected to sell 85,000 units by 2014 in the U.S. This goal will help the brand reach its yearly international sales of 500,000 units. A smashing 100,000 Alfa units were sold in 2009. About 100 of these units were sold through their U.S. dealerships with Maserati.
Tags: Alfa Romeo news, car news
Alfa Romeo TZ3 Wows Crowd at Villa D’Este
The Alfa Romeo TZ3 was introduced to the public at the Vista D’Este concours. The crowd agreed that the new TZ was indeed spectacular. With an Alfa 8C Competizione’s V8, the TZ3 continues the somewhat royal bloodline of its 60s predecessors, the TZ2 and the TZ1. The recent evolution of the TZ line sports the same, classic details as the earlier models. Reviewers were quick to notice the near-breadvan features of the TZ3.
Like its two predecessors, the TZ3 is also a legitimate race car. However, this new machine is made with an aluminum body which is stretched over a carbon fiber chassis and a tube frame. As was already indicated, the car isn’t lacking in power at all. Significantly upgraded from its forbears’ engines, the TZ3 performs at its best with nothing less than a V8 engine.
Tags: Alfa Romeo, Alfa Romeo TZ3, Race Cars
Alfa Romeo’s High performance Giuletta aims for Golf GTI
Fiat is doing an overhaul of its lineup and is planning to roll out new units in the next few years. This includes a high-performance Giuletta and a refaced 500 for the United States this 2010.
The market for the 500 can expect a same skeletal frame but using a modified platform to build on. The redesigned chassis will be shedding of some pounds off from the car and also contribute in improving the cars dynamics. The US 500 will be assembled in their Mexico plants.
The new 500 will be using some technologies used for the development of the new Fiat 500C. The designers are also working on decreasing the cars noise, harshness, and vibration.
The European release of the 500 will not be getting the changes as its US sibling but Fiat will be using the platform for the new Ypsilon under the Lancia brand year and for the new Panda by 2011.
Tags: Alfa Romeo Giuletta, Giuletta
Alfa Romeo Giulia heading to the U.S. in 2012
Fans of Italian cars are eagerly awaiting the first product that will roll out of the assembly line after an alliance has been formed between Fiat and Chrysler. Before the end of 2010, the Fiat 500 may touch the American soil. Following shortly are possible productions of hatchback units like the Alfa Romeo Milano or the MiTo. The Italian car maker has not confirmed the release of the last two vehicles though.
The American market has not accepted the functionality of a hatchback as the everyday family car. It just follows that a wagon from the luxury segment will be on the top choice of the list. Mercedes Benz and BMW are both selling their smaller units but they both veered away from selling the hatch versions in the United States.
Alfa Romeo is following suit and may be opting to send the bigger Giulia sedan to the American market. It might just be the first Alfa Romeo that will be produced in high volume to mark the return of the brand in the U.S. soil.
Tags: Alfa Romeo, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Giulia
