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Alfa Romeo 8C and GTV: Classic names revived as high-powered hybrids

BOLOCCO, Italy — There were grand plans for Alfa Romeo at FCA's last five-year plan. By 2018, we were supposed to get eight new products, including a new "specialty" vehicle. In reality, we've gotten the Giulia and Stelvio. At this year's follow-up, Alfa Romeo brand head Tim Kuniskis called the last plan ambitious, but he offered a new vision that was both more realistic and more far-reaching. Beyond doubling down on utility and electrified vehicles, by 2022 Alfa has plans to revive both the 8C and GTV names as high-performance hybrids. Since 2014, Alfa sales are up 160 percent, with an estimated 170,000 vehicles to be sold in 2018. The North American market counts for 16 percent of that, up from nothing back in 2013. Future products will focus on Alfa's current strengths: styling and performance. Look for new compact and full-size utility vehicles to slot on each side of the Stelvio. Plans for a larger sedan seemed to have been nixed, though a long-wheelbase version of the Giulia will make it to the ever-increasing Chinese market. The most exciting news obviously comes from the return of the 8C supercar and GTV sports car. We have few details, but what we do know looks promising. The 8C will use a carbon-fiber chassis with a mid-mounted twin-turbo V6. More than 700 horsepower will be sent to all four wheels thanks to an electrically-driven front axle. The car should hit 62 mph in fewer than 3 seconds. The GTV will be slightly more tame, though Alfa is promising more than 600 horsepower from its hybrid powertrain. The four-seater will also have all-wheel drive, torque vectoring and a 50/50 weight distribution. The brief teaser image shows a car that looks like a two-door Giulia, though it's unclear if we'll actually get a new coupe. Electrification, autonomy and connectivity are coming, too. Obviously, the 8C and GTV will get electrified powertrains, but look for each Alfa Romeo model to have some sort of electrification available. Look for six plug-in hybrids with all-electric ranges of more than 30 miles. Level 2 and 3 autonomous systems are coming, too. Related Video: Design/Style Earnings/Financials Green Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Coupe Crossover SUV Hybrid Luxury Performance Supercars FCA alfa romeo 8c

Aston Martin eyes US market for growth

Aston Martin chief executive Andy Palmer is sitting in a rustic Tuscan villa on a sweltering summer night, but his mind is thousands of miles away. He's ruminating on the United States, a lucrative market that could secure Aston's future as an automaker that has proved elusive for decades. The reason? Aston has an identity crisis. Sure, Americans know what Aston Martin is. Mostly. Palmer compares it to the British game of cricket. Many Americans have heard of it. They might even have a vague notion of what it is, but that's about as far as things go. It's the same with Aston. Candidly, Palmer places the blame squarely on his company, admitting Aston executives have been complacent about America. "We've got some work to do in the United States. I think we have assumed that you guys get it because you speak our language," he told a group of mostly US journalists at the launch of the 2017 DB11. That ends now, Palmer said, and Aston's plan to fix the problem will come into sharper focus with the launch of the DBX crossover for 2019. The utility vehicle was designed for an American buyer because the US market is SUV heavy. The target consumer? Someone named Charlotte, a 42-year-old from Southern California. Palmer describes her as someone who wants an elevated ride height and functionality. "She's looking for that safe, secure feeling," Palmer said. The company is adding 750 people and building a factory in Wales to produce the DBX. The site will be able to make 7,000 units annually, which dovetails with Aston's goal of making 7,000 sports cars per year. It's an ambitious plan for a company that made 3,615 cars in 2015 and posted an operating loss. This potential growth is still a few years off, meaning the brand's new DB11 must be a success. Early signs are trending well, and Aston had taken 2,000 orders by the end of June. After that, the company will redesign the Vanquish and Vantage and add the usual open-top variants. Aston's investors have already funded the sports cars and the DBX, and product development spending rose 40 percent in 2015. Aston's ownership group includes a Kuwaiti consortium, Italian backers, and a minority stake held by Daimler, which provides technology like infotainment and V8 engines. In total, Aston plans seven new vehicles in six years.

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante is coming soon for $329,100

You've seen the coupe and read the reviews. You've seen the spy shots filtering out of the Nurburgring. And now you've finally, digitally and officially, seen the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante. It's exactly what you'd expect — take the DBS Superleggera, keep its twin-tubrocharged 5.2-liter V12 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, ditch its hardtop in favor of a folding convertible mechanism, add a drop of sunshine and a copious extra dose of wailing exhaust note, stir and enjoy. Aston Martin boasts that the DBS Superleggera Volante's top speed of 211 miles per hour matches that of the coupe and makes it the fastest convertible ever to roll out of Gaydon. Its quoted 0-62 mph time of 3.6 seconds (.02 seconds behind the coupe) and 0-100 time of 6.7 seconds means it's no slouch in the acceleration department, either, despite its quoted dry weight of 4,107 pounds. Fortunately, that heft (375 pounds more than the coupe) is distributed equally over the front and rear wheels. A revised aerodynamics package that includes a front spoiler and airdam, side strakes that are deeper than those of the coupe, a double rear diffuser and a so-called Aeroblade II all combine to deliver 390 pounds of downforce. That's just 6.6 pounds less than the coupe, despite the inherent aero penalty caused by the removal of the roof. It takes just 14 seconds to open and 16 seconds to close the soft top. At 10.2 inches, Aston says the folded roof stack is the smallest in its segment, and the top is offered in eight colors. A twill carbon fiber mesh finish is optional for the windshield surround, as well as the rear tonneau cover. Want one? You'll have to wait for the third quarter of 2019 to order the DBS Superleggera Volante in the United States. And you'll need a check for $329,100.