Alfa Romeo 4C Concept: Video and Live Shots from the Geneva Motor Show

I know some of our readers will disagree, hell, even some of the folks here at Carscoop will beg to differ, nevertheless, I'm going to say it: I'm utterly disappointed with the styling of Alfa Romeo's 4C Concept, which is slated to enter production in 2012. Alfa had a unique chance to redefine its design language with its first mainstream rear-wheel drive model in decades but instead chose to add the Mickey Mouse - bug face treatment to a body that looks awfully similar to the Lotus Elise.

The specific styling cues may work for the 8C Competizione but if you ask me, the 4C looks just as silly as the MiTo does. Granted; the true essence of the 4C Concept lays under the skin and in particular the mid-engine / rear-wheel drive architecture, but would it be much to ask for some of that styling magic Alfa Romeo has served us over the years?

As always, feel free to agree or disagree in our comments section below.

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Alfa Romeo Focuses on the Giulietta and 2011MY MiTo at the Geneva Show

The Fiat Group will have a particularly strong presence at the Geneva Motor Show this year, as it’s planning to reveal a bevy of new models and concept cars. Alfa Romeo’s offering at the Swiss salon will be centered on the Giulietta compact and 2011MY MiTo subcompact models, with two of each scheduled to go on display. And for those of you wondering, Alfa's press release made no mention of the rumored concept sports coupe based on the underpinnings of the KTM X-Bow.

First up is the 170HP Giulietta Distinctive fitted with a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mated to the Alfa TCT dual-clutch automatic transmission and a Start-Stop system, which returns 5.2 lt/100 km (45.2 US mpg) on the combined cycle. The show car is customized with a Sport Pack package that includes 18-inch alloys (17” wheels also available), side skirts, seats clad in fabric-leather upholstery, aluminum inserts, metallic headlight frames and dark interior.

The standard equipment list includes the Alfa DNA dynamic vehicle control system with a Q2 electronic differential, VDC with ASR and Hill Holder, six airbags, front seatbelts with dual pre-tensioner and front anti-whiplash headrests.

The second Giulietta to go on display is the range-topping Quadrifoglio Verde 1750 TBi with a Rosso Competizione paintjob, powered by a direct-injection and turbocharged 1.8-liter four-pot with 235HP and 340 Nm (251 lb-ft) of peak torque. Only available with this engine, the Quadrifoglio Verde trim level comes with 17-inch rims (18-inch wheels are optional), more powerful brakes and a sporty interior, with fabric-leather seats.

Both Giuliettas feature the Blue&Me-TomTom system that allows owners to operate the telephone, sound system, navigation and other driving aids through one, 6.5-inch color touch-screen.

The Italian automaker’s stand will feature the 2011MY MiTo subcompact as well, which goes on sale in April. The refreshed model gets a new choice of exterior colors and interior fabrics, plus an extended list of optional equipment and a revised Quadrifoglio version powered by a 170HP four-cylinder engine.

To make it more appealing, the 2011MY MiTo Quadrifoglio comes with a new surround under the Alfa badge, modified Quadrifoglio Verde logos and chrome mirror housings, door handles and headlight/taillight frames. The optional 18-inch wheels round up the exterior changes.

Inside, the sportiest MiTo comes with the Sabelt sport seats (also an optional item) wrapped in an Alcantara-fabric combination, black color scheme and green-white seams found on the seats, steering wheel, hand brake lever and gear shifter knob.

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Marchionne gets Nasty, Tells VW Boss Piech to go and Fix SEAT Instead of Eyeing Alfa Romeo

Speaking at the J.D. Power and Associates International Automotive Round-table in San Francisco, Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne bluntly reiterated that the Italians won’t sell Alfa Romeo to the Volkswagen Group, or anyone else for that matter.

“As long as I am CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, Mr. Piech will never have Alfa Romeo. It's hands-off. I told him. I will call him and I will email him”, Marchionne said.

According to Automotive News Europe, Marchionne also took a shot at VW, saying that the group's Chairman Ferdinand Piech should try to turn around Seat, its struggling Spanish brand, instead of eyeing Alfa.

“I'm not the one who bought Seat. He's the one who bought it. I don't know if he can [fix it], but he needs to try”, the Italian official commented.

We’ll remind you that selling Alfa Romeo has been a hot topic for the past year or so, but Fiat never confirmed the rumors, periodically stating that it prefers to revitalize the Milanese company. Prior to Marchionne’s latest remark, it was Fiat Chairman John Elkann who also said that Alfa is not for sale.

“We would not sell Alfa even if we were offered tons of money”, Elkann told reporters on the sidelines of last month’s Detroit Auto Show, adding that the brand will be relaunched in the U.S. in 2012.

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Alfa Romeo UK Adds New Diesel with 140HP and 62.8 MPG to Giulietta Lineup

A newly developed 2.0-liter JTDM engine has made its way under the hood of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta in the UK. The four-cylinder turbocharged diesel unit, which delivers 140HP at 4,000 rpm and 320Nm of peak torque in 'Normal' mode and 350Nm in 'Dynamic' mode, gets the latest generation JTDM-2 MultiJet Common Rail system that is already present on the 105HP 1.6 JTDM-2 and the 170HP 2.0 JTDM-2 engines.

Alfa Romeo says that with this diesel engine, the Giulietta can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 9 seconds en route to a top speed of 127 mph (204 km/h), while returning a combined fuel consumption of 62.8 mpg UK (52.3 mpg US or 4.5 lt/100km) with CO2 emissions of 119g/km.

The new engine is Euro 5 compliant and is equipped with DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) and Start&Stop as standard.

On-the-road prices for the Giulietta 2.0 JTDM-2 in the UK are set at £20,144.47 for the Lusso model and £21,444.47 for the better equipped Veloce.

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Alfa Romeo Celebrates Support of UK Athletics with New MiTo Sprint

Automakers find all kind of excuses to create special edition versions of their cars, and by special edition we actually mean better equipped models. For Alfa Romeo, the raison d'être of the new MiTo Sprint is "the continued support of UK Athletics (UKA)". Wonder what they'll think of next...

Well, in any case, the new UK market MiTo Sprint is available in UKA ‘Union Jack’ inspired colors (red, white or blue), and comes with some £1,500 worth of extras, including cruise control, leather steering wheel and gear stick, remote audio controls on the steering wheel, Blue&Me Bluetooth hands-free system with voice recognition, and media player with a USB port.

In addition, the special version also features a rear spoiler, 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, and unique Sprint badging.

UK buyers have a choice of two petrol engines, the 1.4 16V 95 bhp costing £13,295 OTR and the 1.4 TB MultiAir 135 bhp with ALFA TCT automatic transmission priced £16,395 OTR, and one diesel unit, the 1.3 JTDM-2 95 bhp version which starts at £14,845 OTR.

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Alfa Romeo Rumored [Again] to be Planning a KTM X-Bow-based Sports Car

At this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Alfa Romeo may take the audience by surprise with a lightweight, mid-engine and rear-wheel drive coupe concept that will eventually become the Italian maker’s next affordable halo car, reportedly named 4C GTA.

According to an Automotive News Europe [ANE] report, a Fiat spokesman has confirmed that development is underway, however the Geneva debut is uncertain due to “delays in the concept model construction”.

The brand’s last affordable rear-wheel drive model was the “Classic Spider”, which was discontinued in 1994, leaving a gap that was never filled by Alfa Romeo. True, the limited run 8C Competizione, built between 2007 and 2008, was an impressive car, but with a price tag of over €200,000 (US $276,160) it was simply too expensive for the average Alfa buyer.

The new model is said to go on sale in Europe by late 2012 with a base price of €40,000 (or about US $55,244). According to inside sources, Alfa plans to build up to 25,000 units by the end of 2017. If true, the 4C GTA could also make it to the States, but nothing’s final yet.

The role of the 4C GTA is clear: it’s expected to attract customers to the firm's showrooms, where the upcoming 159 replacement and the brand’s first SUV model should convince them to sign on the dotted line.

Sources stated it will be styled by Alfa’s own design center in Turin and that the “rakish, very compact and extremely low two-seat coupe” will make use of modified version of the KTM X-Bow platform, originally engineered by Italy’s Dallara Automobili for the Austrian motorcycle maker. Power is said to come from the Giulietta’s 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, expected to deliver over 250HP.

Let’s that just hope that if the 4C GTA rumors turn out to be real, the sports car will be instantly recognizable as a true Alfa Romeo and not a rebadged X-Bow.

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Alfa Romeo Milano Fully Revealed in Factory Photos!

That sound you hear are the cracks forming on the walls of Alfa Romeo's assembly plant in Italy as believe it or not, someone managed to leave the factory with what appear to be mobile phone photos of the all-new Milano. The surprisingly revealing gallery, which comes only a day after an initial leak on Friday, made its way on a Facebook group page exposing the Italian compact hatchback from several angles and even gives us our first view of the dashboard and center console.

To a lesser extent than the smaller MiTo, the five-door Milano has an all-new body design with styling cues that refer directly to the Alfa 8C Competizione. These include the oval-shaped headlamps and arrow-like bonnet lines that end with the deep Alfa shield grille, but not the round tail lamps as the Italian designers opted for a totally different design at the back.

Like the 147 hatchback that it will replace, the Milano's rear door handles are hidden in the door pillars for a smoother look that gives the illusion from a distance that this is a sportier three-door hatch.

The interior shots reveal that the Milano will feature a sporty instrument panel with two deeply set gauges at either side, a design trait seen in most modern Alfas including the MiTo and the 159.

Styling aside, the Milano uses the latest version of the Fiat Group's C- and D-segment platform which is known internally as the C-Evo. It is not clear yet if the Milano will hit the European market before the end of the year or in the beginning of 2010, but when it does, Alfa's BMW 1-Series rival is expected to be initially offered with 1.4-liter and 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines producing up to 200HP+, as well as with the usual turbo diesel line up.

Photos via: Facebook

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