Alfa Romeo auto news

Video: Watch this Alfa Romeo Giulietta play ice hockey

After the culture clash between the Americans at Chrysler and the Germans at Daimler during the bad old DCX days, there has been concern that the latest European occupation of Auburn Hills could lead to similar friction. Granted, Fiat is not Mercedes-Benz, but Italian sensibilities can be quite dissimilar from those of most Detroiters.

So count us doubly impressed to happen upon this video, featuring an Alfa Romeo Giulietta "playing hockey." Never mind that it was Alfa's U.K. group that put together this amusing video to highlight the Giulietta's All Weather traction mode. We'd like to think that somebody from Hockeytown weighed in with some encouragement for the idea.

In fact, now that we think about it, maybe this whole hockey-playing-car thing could be the next extension of Chrysler's "Imported from Detroit" campaign. The new Dodge Dart is all Giulietta underneath, and the Chrysler 300 SRT8 would make one heck of a goon...

Click past the jump to see the Alfa on ice.

Continue reading Watch this Alfa Romeo Giulietta play ice hockey

Did someone really order this Alfa Romeo 8C with a General Lee paint scheme?

Yup. Someone has apparently taken it upon themselves to slather the slinkiest of Alfa Romeo models with the bright orange paint and stars and bars of the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard. Why? Because if you have enough cash to park an 8C Competizione in your expansive garage, you can paint it in whatever livery you damn well please. Details are scarce, but our source says the coupe is real, and it rocks the appropriate "01" numbering on each door. We're hoping there's a horn capable of whistling Dixie under the hood as well, and we'll award bonus points if the doors are welded shut and there's a cage inside.

We'd love to know who ordered up this particular color combination. Our source, John S., says this photo was clicked near Balocco in Northern Italy (presumably adjacent to Alfa's test track facility there), but for now, we'll just content ourselves by wondering how you say "Daisy Duke" in Italian.

Report: Chrysler planning Dodge Avenger successor after all?

Don't cry for the Dodge Avenger just yet. According to USA Today, Chrysler is set to introduce new midsized sedans to replace both the Chrysler 200 and the much-maligned Dodge Avenger. The vehicles will be built on a version of the same platform that underpins the 2013 Dodge Dart. That news runs contrary to word that the Avenger is headed to the great scrap pile in the sky after the current generation runs its course. Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is looking to shore up the company's small car efforts and spread the cost of platform development across as many models as possible.

Marchionne also made mention of introducing a new hybrid hatchback under the Chrysler 100 nameplate, though details are scarce at the moment.

USA Today reports the same platform may be used for the next-generation Jeep Liberty and Compass, which are slated to debut sometime in 2013. Marchionne says both vehicles will be trail-rated and capable of standing up to the kind of abuse Jeep buyers demand. Even so, the CEO says the vehicles will have their "origins in the architecture of a sports car."

Speaking of sports cars, Marchionne also made it clear Alfa Romeo is still coming to the States, though the Italian brand's strategy has shifted somewhat. The models headed to the U.S. market will be lightweight and powered by a turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine offering 300 horsepower. Certainly sounds good to us.

Rumormill: Chrysler to replace Dodge Challenger with Barracuda?

Motor Trend reports that Chrysler may forsake the Dodge Challenger for a resurrected Barracuda. The magazine cites two unnamed sources as saying the nameplate will surface in time to celebrate the vehicle's 50th anniversary in 2014. If true, the Barracuda will ride on a new smaller and lighter platform that's more fit to compete with the likes of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. The vehicle's bones will likely be shared with Alfa Romeo, which means a turbo four-cylinder may show up behind the Barracuda headlights as well as a fire-breathing V8. MT suggests the design may pull from the original fastback Barracuda, though a notch-back version would allow Chrysler to more effectively compete against the drop-top hardware from Ford and Chevrolet.

We have no doubt Chrysler and Fiat are currently investigating ways to breathe new life into the Challenger. The vehicle has been content to plod along as a distant third to its muscle-car rivals, but pulling the Barracuda name back into play seems unlikely. For starters, the Barracuda sailed under the long-dead Plymouth banner, and both Dodge and Chrysler have a long list of hallowed names from which to choose. Stay tuned.

Report: Alfa Romeo 4C speeds into production with lb45,000 price tag

Imagine your dream car. What might it include? Lightweight carbon-fiber construction, high-tech engine behind the seats, legendary Italian badge on the nose.... The thing is, that usually means a big fat price tag that runs well into the six figures, if not seven. But while this latest Italian sports car is set to include all those ingredients, its price point is set decidedly lower.

We're talking about the Alfa Romeo 4C, the nimble-looking little number that debuted in delicious matte red at the Geneva show last year, and in liquid-metal finish in Frankfurt just a few months ago. Rumors have been circulating of its imminent production ever since its debut, but now the blokes over at Top Gear say that have the final details on good authority.

According to the report, Fiat has crunched the numbers and figured out how it can produce the 4C while neither breaking the bank nor spoiling the formula. And so the supercar is set to begin testing in the new year and hit the market in the next. And the price? £45,000, according to TG, which equates to about $70K at today's exchange rates. To put that into perspective, consider that is the same starting price in the British market as the Porsche Cayman S - a model which starts here at $62K.

The Cayman is an ambitious target, but the 4C promises to be both smaller and lighter. A new direct-injection turbo four will drive 230 horsepower to the rear wheels via a dual-clutch gearbox for a 4.5-second sprint to sixty, but is tipped to yield more powerful versions with as much as 300hp on tap and even a roadster version later on.

That last bit promises to be easier to pull off thanks to the carbon-fiber tub - engineered by Dallara - to which aluminum sub-frames will be attached front and rear. The Italian chassis constructor is best known for its racing cars, but also developed the KTM X-Bow, which could in and of itself give us the best idea of what to expect if and when the 4C assumes the place originally reserved for the 8C Competizione in finally heralding Alfa's return to the North American market.

Romeo Ferraris and Autodelta team up for a supercharged goodbye to the Alfa Romeo Brera

We've seen Romeo Ferraris tune all manner of vehicles, but oddly none from the automaker with which it shares the first part of its name. That's all changing, but not with a current Alfa Romeo model. For their latest project, RF has turned its attention to the recently discontinued Alfa Romeo Brera.

Long considered one of the most beautiful designs mired by a substandard chassis, the Brera went out of production over a year ago. But to give it one last swan song, Romeo Ferraris has teamed up with venerable Alfa tuning firm Autodelta. Together, they've given the Brera's 3.2-liter V6 a supercharger, intercooler, custom exhaust and remapped ECU to boost power up by 97 horsepower for a more substantial 353 hp. That's tipped to drop the 0-62 time down to five seconds and the top end up to 162 mph.

Naturally a full body kit is also part of the package, as is an adjustable suspension and (we would hope) upgraded brakes as well. A fitting goodbye to one of the best-looking cars ever to grace the roads - and one that will hopefully keep it on them for years to come.

Official: Maserati orders up special batch of Alfa Giuliettas for dealer loaner vehicles

There's strength in numbers, particularly for a producer of high-end exotic automobiles. For a brand like Maserati, being linked to the Fiat Group not only means that it can offset its carbon emissions across a broader range of cars - something like the two-cylinder Fiat 500 TwinAir balancing out the GranTurismo MC Stradale - but also gives the company's dealer network a ready fleet of more affordable loaner cars at their disposal.

A couple years ago, Alfa Romeo and Maserati - which had just recently been realigned under common leadership - announced a special edition MiTo that had been made specially for Maserati dealers in Europe. Now they've followed up with the slightly larger and more powerful Giulietta.

The Maserati edition Giulietta starts out with the 235-horsepower turbo four from the top-of-the-line Quadrifoglio Verde (green cloverleaf) model, and further distinguishes itself with the same brown leather you'd expect to find in a Maserati, plus special 18-inch wheels, red brake calipers and special badges inside and out.

In other words, a suitable loaner to receive upon dropping off your Quattroporte for its regular servicing. And if the Ferrari edition Fiat 500 was anything to go by, Alfa dealers could be find themselves fielding referrals from their Maserati counterparts with eager customers waiting to place orders of their own.

Continue reading Maserati orders up special batch of Alfa Giuliettas for dealer loaner vehicles

Video: Watch a stunt driver pop 2,500 water balloons with an Alfa Romeo Mito

Alfa Romeo test driver Terry Grant has picked up a few records in his day. The hot shoe has picked up a total of 19 world records during his time behind the wheel, and now he can add one more: Grant has taken to the Alfa Romeo Mito to become the man to pop the most water balloons using a vehicle. The Italian automaker crafted a massive version of its iconic logo from a staggering 2,500 balloons and then unleashed Grant on the finished product in a Mito Quadrifoglio Verde. Fortunately Alfa fans, the company trained more than a few lenses on the stunt for some excellent slow-motion action.

Pointless? Probably, but we're never ones to shun a video of an attractive European hatchback sliding around on a skid pad in slow motion. Of course, seeing all those water balloons makes us miss summer in a powerful way. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself, as well as the full press release.

Continue reading Watch a stunt driver pop 2,500 water balloons with an Alfa Romeo Mito

Official: Alfa Romeo announces new 1.8-liter turbo with up to 300 horsepower

If you were to design your own engine for today's automotive market, what features would it include? Aluminum construction? Direct injection? Turbocharging? Variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust? Small displacement but a high output? Try all of these features and you're looking at the latest powerplant developed by Alfa Romeo and Fiat Powertrain Technologies.

The 1.8-liter turbo four leverages the latest developments in engine technology for an output as high as 300 horsepower while still meeting the most stringent emissions standards on the horizon (including the upcoming U.S. Tier 2 Bin 5 regulations, which bodes well for its eventual American application).

It's the engine that's expected to power the production 4C sportscar, and given that it's designed to be mounted either behind the cabin or in front, longitudinally or transversely, it will surely find its way into other Alfas as well. (Maybe a couple of future Dodge products, too) And when it does, we hope it won't lose much in output, because 300 galloping stallions and an Alfa Romeo badge on the nose sounds to us like a recipe for success.

Details in the press release after the jump, with fresh high-resolution images of the 4C in its original matte red finish added to the gallery for your viewing pleasure.

Continue reading Alfa Romeo announces new 1.8-liter turbo with up to 300 horsepower

Report: Fiat to develop 'Baby Jeep' in Italy, keep Compass/Patriot replacement in U.S.

The Fiat/Chrysler relationship has yet to spawn any post-marital offspring, but that will soon change. Automotive News reports that one of those vehicles could come in the size and shape of a "baby" Jeep that will be sold in Europe.

The B-segment Jeep, which we told you about back in August, will also be badged as a Fiat model. Two Fiat sources told AN that the vehicles will be built in Fiat's Minafiori plant in Turin, Italy, and there is a chance the vehicle could also be sold in the U.S.

Minafiori was originally pegged as the Euro plant of choice to build the successor to the Jeep Compass and Patriot models, but the Fiat sources say those plans have changed. The new plan reportedly calls for the Patriot/Compass replacement and an Alfa Romeo sibling to be built in the U.S.

A recent Fiat release revealed that the Minafiori plant will be rebuilt starting in 2012, and that a Jeep SUV will begin production in the second half of 2013.