1989 Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio Convertible 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Alfa's upcoming EV sports car poised as a 4C Spider successor — the 4E?

Expanding its ambitious plans for its future electric cars, Alfa Romeo is working on an electric sports car — one that might be badged the 4E and live on as a successor to the 4C Spider — for introduction before the end of the decade "There are some items from Alfa Romeo that we don't kill: One is the Spider, the other is a love of cars. We do want to continue them because that's the brand,” Daniel Guzzafame, Head of Products at Alfa, said in an interview with Autocar. “The main point is to make sure that when we do it, we are credible, are sustainable, and don't just throw something on the market for the sake of it.” The ItaliansÂ’ prospective scenario would hinge on the success of its new multi-car/SUV lineup that includes the Tonale, introduced earlier this year; a baby SUV spotted online recently that could come next year, and upcoming electric versions of the Guilia sedan and Stelvio. A new Alfa Romeo will arrive each year for the next five years, Alfa executives say, to build up the “sustainable” inventory foundation to which Guzzafame referred. In past years, he said, “we went to the dealers, and they had the 4C, Giulietta, and Mito, and that was all they had. First, you need to have a solid lineup, and then, of course, the Spider has to be the cherry on the cake.” The sports car discussed by Guzzafame may borrow styling cues from the newly revealed 33 Stradale supercar, available with Alfa's first-ever electric drivetrain. The company may also look to mimic the dynamics of todayÂ’s mid-engined sports cars by locating its battery in the center of the chassis, a placement that would allow a traditional cab-forward shape.  Alfa Romeo has suggested that all of its ICE vehicles will go out of production by 2027. As far as a “noiseless” Alfa is concerned, Guzzafame explained the company may try to emulate the sounds and vibrations of a gasoline motor in the new car. “ItÂ’s not what you hear, itÂ’s what you feel,” he said. “WeÂ’re working on how to transfer that into a vibe, more than sound, and something that will resonate in your ear, because you need to get something from your gut.” As for the gorgeous mid-engined Stradale, the engine is a version of the twin-turbo V6 from the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio models, and apparently some aspects of the active suspension are also taken from the Giulia Quadrifoglio GTA.

Ralph Gilles talks minivans, Millennials, mobility, and kissing Alfa Romeos

We sat down with Ralph Gilles, the global head of design for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. The veteran stylist has worked for the company for 25 years, and oversees the design of all of the products in the FCA portfolio – everything from mobility pods to Maseratis. This serves Gilles just fine, as his personal automotive interests are exceedingly diverse. The FCA stand was unusually quiet (until Vice President Joe Biden stopped by at the end of our time there) and Gilles was willing to weigh in on a wide range of subjects. Autoblog: We're seeing all of these autonomous mobility pods like Portal being presented at auto shows like CES or NAIAS, but we're not seeing any adoption of this kind of small vehicle in the market. What's your perspective on our pod-like autonomous future versus our truck-centric present? Ralph Gilles: Obviously I pay attention to the industry as much as your readers and yourself, and everyone has a take on the future. We had a debate, we could have done a supercar or something for pure sex appeal [ apparently that's also in the works], but we chose something practical, to really look at the future in a different perspective. We have these Millennials, a huge swath of people born between 1982 and 2004, and the oldest ones are turning 35 right about now, and a lot of them are having families later in life but when they have them they have a little more buying power, so it makes for an interesting cocktail. The one stipulation we had on the Portal project was that everyone had to be a Millennial to be on the team. So that excluded me, I had more of a coach role on the team. And to your point, the Portal in its current state as you see it is not going to be on the road tomorrow. But there's a lot of ideas, a lot of connectivity ideas, a lot of styling ideas, even lighting and technologies that will absolutely find their way into vehicles in the next few years. AB: Being a Detroiter, all of this attention we've had recently in Vegas, CES – I heard that they're maybe going to be running the show at the same time next year. Do you feel a little protective of the Detroit Show? RG: Yeah, it's something to watch. I hope it's not an aggressive thing on their part, by moving the shows on top of each other. They're both important shows. CES, I've been going to for the last five years, and it's changing. There's a lot more automotive content, but there are a lot more start-ups too, and it's interesting to watch.

US-spec Alfa Romeo 4C Spider caught naked at a photo shoot

The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is getting ready for its reveal and market roll-out, which means it's time to put together broadcast materials, and that means the open-roof coupe has to venture outside. Someone caught a few photos of a yellow example during one such jaunt in Andalusia, Spain during photo and television work, and based on this glimpse we'll happily welcome it to our shores. Yes, we felt the same way when we saw the concept introduced at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, and except for two small changes, it's the same car. This production version has an air inlet on the driver's side just ahead of the rear wheel said to improve cooling for the dual-clutch transmission, and the centrally mounted exhaust pipes on the concept have moved to the corners. It also wears the concept's wheels and the conventional headlights, instead of the arachnid units best suited for getting the attention of mating wolf spiders. We shouldn't have too much longer to wait for information on the car's weight gain and performance, as well as its roof panel operation. Until then, head over to www.autoblog.it and Carscoops for a few more on-location shots.