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Alfa Romeo Giulia, new SUV delayed

Damn it, Alfa Romeo. You had one job. One job. Just return to the North American market. That's it. And just when we thought that long-awaited event was actually in sight, thanks to the new, high-performance Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan, we're being forced to report what we've reported so, so many times before – Alfa's US return has (probably) been delayed. Citing supplier sources, Automotive News Europe reports that not only has the new Giulia's European launch been delayed six months, to mid 2016, but the Italian brand's first SUV also won't arrive until at least early 2017. That's six and nine months later than each vehicle was expected, respectively. US on-sale dates for both vehicles were slated for at least three to six months after hitting European dealers. If ANE's report is correct, this virtually guarantees we won't see the Giulia Quadrifoglio before autumn 2016/winter 2017, while the Giulia-based SUV's US arrival is effectively pushed back to spring or summer of 2017. The delay in the Giulia is being blamed on additional work on safety and ride characteristics, ANE's sources claimed. The Quadrifoglio was to be followed by four-cylinder variants in March, but this delay means the high-performance Giulia will be on its own until the end of 2016 in Europe, and early- to mid-2017 in the US. It's unclear if these issues are to blame for the delay in the SUV, although considering it's based in part on the Giulia, that seems like a reasonable assumption. Naturally, and we're guessing annoyingly for Fiat Chrysler executives, this latest delay is raising further questions about the company's long-term plan for its troubled Turin-based brand. ANE quoted multiple analysts who called out Sergio Marchionne's overly ambitious plans for Alfa, although Morningstar's Richard Hilgert said it best: "I would be impressed if the brand sold 200,000 [units per year]," Hilgert told ANE. "I think Marchionne set an overly-lofty target as a shock treatment to a patient in cardiac arrest. The idea being to get an immediate dramatic response, but his plan for 400,000 units in 2018 would have the patient immediately get up and run a five-kilometer race." Related Video:

Mussolini-owned 1930 Alfa Romeo race car getting full restoration

One of Alfa Romeo's most controversial race cars is getting treated to a full, concours-level restoration. Modified, worn-out, and incomplete, this 1930 6C 1750 was purchased new and raced by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Wearing chassis number 6C312898, the 6C 1750 was delivered new to Mussolini on January 13, 1930, and there are several images (one pictured) showing him behind the wheel. He paid 60,000 Lire for it. He entered it in several races across Italy during the early 1930s but didn't keep it long -- his well-known love of Fascism and international invasions seemingly muted the gearhead in him. It then went through several owners before ending up in the hands of a man named Renato Tigillo in 1937. He took the 6C with him when he moved to Eritrea, a country that joined Italian Somaliland and Ethiopia in the Italian East Africa administrative territory in 1936. The 6C was far less significant in the 1930s than in the 2020s, so the different pilots who owned it didn't think twice about stripping it to shed weight. Dozens of parts were removed and likely thrown away to prepare it for a strenuous new career racing under the scorching African sun. Dents, flaking paint, and a little bit of rust suggest life was tough. Precisely when it retired from racing, and what happened to it during the subsequent decades, remains unknown. There's no word on who owns it, either. All we know is that it's about to get completely torn down and painstakingly rebuilt by one of the best names in the business. United Kingdom-based restoration shop Thornley Kelham will return the 6C 1750 to the configuration it was in when Mussolini raced it during the early 1930s. That's a Herculean task considering the list of parts missing from the car is long. The original headlights, fenders, and wire wheels are no longer on it. Simon Thornley, the garage's co-founder, admitted the 6C 1750 is likely the most challenging restoration he's ever taken on, especially considering period images of the Stabilimenti Farina-built body are few and far between. It's worth it, though. "Automotive history like this has to be preserved," he said in a statement. Mussolini wasn't the only dictator that loved cars. Adolf Hitler was an enthusiast, too, and several of his cars -- including a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770k -- have been sold at auction in recent years. Related Video:    

Fiat Chrysler's profit boosted by Ram and Jeep in North America

MILAN/DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler took the market by surprise by sticking to its full-year profit guidance on Wednesday after a strong performance from its Ram pickup truck in North America helped it defy an industry slowdown. Chief Executive Mike Manley, in FCA's first earnings release since a failed attempt to merge with France's Renault, also left the door open to that or other deals. "We are open to opportunity," Manley said on a call with analysts. "I have no doubt why there still would be interest in it," he added, when pressed on what it would take to revive talks with Renault. Manley declined to comment further. FCA last month abandoned its $35 billion merger offer for Renault, blaming French politics for scuttling what would have been a landmark deal to create the world's third-biggest automaker. Manley said a merger was not a must-have and Fiat Chrysler's business plan was strong. The company said it remained confident its adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) would top last year's 6.7 billion euros ($7.5 billion). Given disappointing forecasts from other automakers this earnings season, FCA's confirmation of the outlook sent Milan-listed shares in the Italian-American automaker, whose other brands include Jeep, up over 4%. A broad-based auto sales downturn has rattled the sector, forcing FCA's competitors — including Renault, Daimler and Aston Martin — to cut their sales forecasts after second-quarter results, while U.S. carmaker Ford gave a weaker-than-expected 2019 profit outlook. Japan's Nissan, a long-term partner of Renault, said it would cut 12,500 jobs by 2023 after its earnings collapsed. In the second quarter FCA's adjusted EBIT totaled 1.52 billion euros, versus analysts' expectations of 1.43 billion euros, according to a Reuters poll. FCA's U.S. shipments were down 12% in the second quarter but the group said that the successful performance of its Ram brand resulted in an enhanced share of the large pickup truck market of 27.9%, up 7 percentage points from last year. Adjusted EBIT margin in North America rose to 8.9% from 6.5% in the first quarter, thanks to strong demand for the heavy-duty Ram and the new Jeep Gladiator pickup. Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer also said FCA expected to report up to 10% margins in the region in both the third and fourth quarters.