2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Sport Awd on 2040-cars

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Planned Alfa Romeo 8C and GTV don't appear to have a future anymore

The two Alfa Romeos we’ve been looking forward to most donÂ’t appear to have much of a future anymore, according to a report from Automobile. Both the 8C and GTV no longer exist on AlfaÂ’s product roadmap, and Mike Manley suggested they were canned, as well. “In the near term, the new portfolio for the brand is significantly scaled back with a corresponding reduction in capital spending,” Manley said, referring to Alfa Romeo in the companyÂ’s third-quarter earnings call. We've asked FCA if it can explicitly confirm anything on the 8C and GTV, but it offered no comment on the report. Additionally, FCAÂ’s presentation (uncovered by Motor1) of future Alfa Romeo vehicles left the 8C and GTV off the list. The only new cars planned for the future include a production version of the Tonale crossover and another unnamed crossover. FCAÂ’s presentation also states: “brand to focus on current market strengths with reduced global reach and overlap with other Group brands.” We all know that the strength of the market is in crossovers right now, so itÂ’s easy to infer what happens from there. Expensive, luxury sports cars are not where the scale and money is at for Alfa Romeo, a brand that isnÂ’t exactly thriving from a sales perspective today. Sales for both the Stelvio and Giulia are down in 2019 as those cars exit their honeymoon phase. Alfa is expected to have a midcycle refresh ready for consumption in 2021, so perhaps that could provide a temporary boost in sales for the Italian brand. FCA also said itÂ’s reducing planned capital spending on Alfa Romeo, which could hurt the brand even more in the future. This earnings call came the same day that the FCA-PSA merger was announced, throwing another wrench into the plan. WeÂ’re not yet sure what the merger will mean for Alfa Romeo and its presence in America, but we imagine more news on that will be coming as the companies transition to this new life together. The Giorgio platform appears to be safe for the time being, as Manley expressed his intentions to keep it around. This platform (underpinning both the Giulia and Stelvio) was developed with electrification of the powertrain in mind, so itÂ’ll be capable of handling a number of electrification efforts in FCAÂ’s future. We only wish the promising 8C and GTV wouldÂ’ve made it to production, but even Alfa appears to be thinning the herd of cars in favor of crossovers.

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary | Autoblog Podcast #600

In this, the 600th episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale. They've been driving the Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary edition, Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio and Buick Enclave, and they're pretty excited about at least two of them. Then they talk about the Subaru Forester in their long-term garage. Finally, they spend a listener's money on a used car. Autoblog Podcast #600 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2020 Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary 2019 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio 2020 Buick Enclave Long-term Subaru Forester Update Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Alfa Romeo abandoned the Spider to focus on crossovers

As much as enthusiasts like to forget or deny it, automakers are in the business of making money, and sometimes that means doing things that seem counter to a brand's image or history. Alfa Romeo, for example, is attempting to make a comeback in the US. The make has a long history of making sporty vehicles, so news that Alfa has ceased plans on some new cars in order to focus on crossovers should be disappointing, but far from surprising. The new Fiat 124 Spider, based on and build alongside the Mazda Miata, was originally supposed to be a new Alfa Romeo Spider. A while back, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne has said that as long as he's in charge, Alfas will be built in Italy. That seemed to be reasoning enough for the new car's switch to Fiat, but Automotive News is reporting that the company actually abandoned the new Spider in order to build SUVs. The Spider isn't the only vehicle that appears to be off the table. While the new BMW 3 Series-sized Giulia is set to hit dealers later this year, larger sedans meant to compete against the 5 Series and 6 Series have been axed. Alfa's first crossover, the Stelvio, is expected to debut later this year. The company has plans for a Giulia-based crossover as well. A lot of this seems counter to Alfa and FCA's five-year plan that was announced fewer than three years ago. Then, the 400,000 annual sales target worldwide by 2018 powered by Italian-designed and -built engines. In actuality, the company has struggled to get even the Giulia to market, delaying everything else in its wake. Related Video: