1974 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce Convertible 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale starts just under $45,000

The 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale will be hitting dealers very soon, so Alfa has opened up the order books and announced pricing for the plug-in hybrid SUV. The base Sprint model will start at $44,590 including destination charge. That's a good bit more than some competitors such as the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, but they're less powerful, don't come standard with all-wheel-drive, and aren't plug-in hybrids at those entry prices. When those are equipped with similar power and all-wheel-drive, the Alfa ends up being priced very close to its rivals. Full standard features weren't given for each trim level, but we know that the Tonale gets the turbo 1.3-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain making 285 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. It has an electric range of around 30 miles and standard all-wheel drive. A 10.25-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch instrument cluster are also included along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Despite a lack of detailed features for each trim, base prices for each have been released, and they're listed below. Sprint: $44,590 Ti: $46,590 Veloce: $49,090 Alfa Romeo is taking pre-orders for the Tonale right now, but only for the higher Ti and Veloce trim levels. Orders for the base Sprint will open up later this quarter. Alfa also expects that the Tonale will qualify for a $7,500 tax credit when leasing, due to a loophole for vehicles under lease. But be sure to double-check all those details before finalizing a purchase.

Buyers resent low inventories, prices over MSRP, study says

Vehicle inventory low, vehicle transaction prices high, customers fretting … welcome, J.D. Power, to the era of supply and demand. In a recently published survey from one of the auto industryÂ’s top analytical firms, findings show that customers' satisfaction with vehicle purchases in the United States this year has dipped for the first time in 10 years. The 2022 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study found that overall sales satisfaction has dropped to 786 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 789 in 2021. In that year, higher than expected trade-in values softened the effect of new vehicle price increases. But in 2022, on top of trade-in prices shrinking, many dealers elected to charge more than the ManufacturerÂ’s Suggested Retail Price, a factor that did not sit well with buyers. “When dealers charge more than MSRP, particularly with long-term loyal customers, they risk a potential long-term negative effect on customer advocacy and service business," said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. Satisfaction among buyers who paid more than sticker price is 757, while satisfaction among those who paid the sticker price or less is 850, the Power report said. The lack of dealership inventory was also a customer irritant, J.D. Power found, a point that automakers and their dealers may want to consider. Many have maintained, or considered maintaining, a smaller inventory in the wake of the pandemic, keeping costs down and driving more customers toward factory orders. Regarding those consumers shopping for electric vehicles, the survey said that more than a third of them “failed to get instruction on EV charging before they left the dealership, which notably affects satisfaction.” Said Sutton, “Salespeople donÂ’t need to show gas-powered vehicle buyers how to fill their tank, but they do need to show EV buyers how to charge their vehicle.” There are positives to the Power conclusions, however, especially for Alfa Romeo dealers. The Italian brand ranked highest in customer satisfaction among premium brands with a score of 833, with Porsche a very close second (831) and Lexus (819) third. Alfa is on something of a roll these days, with its compact Tonale crossover due for release in the spring, and a new sports car in the works. Meanwhile, in PowerÂ’s “mainstream brand”” segment, Buick ranked first with a score of 825, followed by Dodge (816) and Subaru (804), all performing higher than the industry average.

Alfa Romeo returns to F1 as Sauber title sponsor

LONDON - Alfa Romeo will become title sponsor of the Sauber Formula One team next season as part of a multi-year technical and commercial partnership, both sides announced on Wednesday. "This agreement with the Sauber F1 Team is a significant step in the reshaping of the Alfa Romeo brand, which will return to Formula One after an absence of more than 30 years," Fiat Chrysler chief executive Sergio Marchionne said in a statement. Sauber announced in a statement of their own that the team will officially be known as the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team from 2018 onwards. "Working closely with a car manufacturer is a great opportunity for the Sauber Group to further develop its technology and engineering projects," Sauber Holding AG chairman Pascal Picci said. "We are confident that together we can bring the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team great success, and look forward to a long and successful partnership."Reporting by Alan Baldwin.Related Video: Image Credit: REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino Motorsports Alfa Romeo Racing Vehicles F1 Sergio Marchionne FCA