ALFA Romeo is set for a big boost under new plans unveiled by its parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) – and Alfa may look very different in five years time as well.
future models are also supposed to mark a return to traditional Alfa Romeo values
Today, with the exception of the exotic mid-engined 4C, Alfa offers just two main models – the Mito supermini and the Golf-Sized Giulietta.
That’s the most limited line-up in the company’s recent history. By contrast, the 2018 Alfa range should extend to at least half a dozen models, by which time the company projects annual sales of 400,000 or so units compared with the 74,000 sold in 2013.
And future Alfas should be bigger, with the company now emphasising the markets for C-segment cars (Golf/Focus types) and larger, which suggests the Giulietta, or its successor will be the smallest car in the range, rather than today’s entry-level model, the Mito.
Future models are also supposed to mark a return to traditional Alfa Romeo values, and there’ll be a lot of emphasis on the handling benefits of rear-wheel drive and the balanced weight distribution it offers – that’s a big change, because unlike the cars of Alfa’s heyday, most recent models from the brand have shared the front-wheel drive architecture of Fiats and Lancias.
Apart from that, there’s not a lot of detail. But we’ll know quite a lot about how Alfa’s hoped-for revival is shaping up late next year with the much-delayed replacement for the long-discontinued 159 saloon.
It will have to be good to tempt company car drivers out of the C-Class, the 3-Series and the A4 – and it’ll have the forthcoming new baby Jag to contend with as well.
