Now, after the extensive coverage it has received, one may wonder what is left to say for the sexy two-seat, mid-engined Italian coupe. Well, quite a lot actually: 4C-Forums, the only site (so far) dedicated to the new Alfa, has published what it claims is the official brochure for the car.
Read more »
This week, our spies nabbed a pre-production prototype of the 4C testing in Europe. While Alfa Romeo's engineers had the car covered almost from top to bottom, we can still see all some of the styling modifications made over the impressive concept displayed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
These include the addition of new exterior mirrors with a larger surface mounted on the doors, the visible door handles positioned right in front of the side air vents, the new circular tail lamp fixtures, and the redesigned (and dare we say, more impressive looking) diffuser at the rear end that also gains a set of auxiliary lights.
When Alfa presented the study two years ago, it told us that the 4C features a 1.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine coupled to a dual-clutch transmission driving the rear wheels. We still don’t know how strong the engine is, but the word on the street is could deliver 300 or more horses.
A reader from the online edition of Autoweek magazine captured a heavily camouflaged prototype of the 4C testing on a Michigan expressway last Friday, January 11.
Read more »
Whether the Italians will to stick to the program remains to be seen, but given the recent developments with Maserati, including the introduction of the new Quattroprote and sightings of Ghibli prototypes, there's a good chance Fiat means it this time.
Read more »
Alfa Romeo officials have said that this may happen sometime in 2013, but with the Italian brand, one can never take these statements for granted – Alfa's on and off return to the U.S. market is a prime example…
Well, while we're waiting for the Italians to give us a date on the only interesting model it has in store for us , a driver in Italy spotted a camouflaged prototype of the 4C coupe -ahem- stranded on the side of a road.
Read more »
The more detailed answer is that the Chrysler Group's engineers are trying out the platform that will underpin the next generation of the Jeep Liberty or Cherokee for overseas markets.
Like the new Dodge Dart as well as the replacement for the Chrysler 200, the next Liberty will use the Chrysler Group's new Compact U.S. Wide (CUSW) platform, which itself is a longer and slightly wider version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta's chassis – hence the use of the Italian hatchback as a test mule.