The 4C Spider.
TURIN: Alfa Romeo used to be a carmaker whose cars were admired by many but not always seen as practical. The company has definitely gone some way towards re-inventing itself lately with the introduction of the brand's first-ever SUV in the shape of the Stelvio, and with another larger, 7-seat SUV to take on the Audi Q7 already in the pipeline.
But now it appears to be turning attention back to its cars, with a new Golf rival and a replacement for the 4C coupe on the cards.
Of course, the company's priority has to be the most profitable models with the biggest global appeal, which is why the next new Alfa will be that Audi Q7 rival, which will also see the manufacturer's first foray into the world of hybrid propulsion systems.
The Giulietta.
Although crossovers and SUVs dominate markets around the world at the moment, Alfa's chief technical officer, Roberto Fedeli, sees a need to fill a couple of gaps in the company's portfolio. A C-Segment hatchback to take on the all-conquering Volkswagen Golf is one, which could be a new, smaller Giulietta, or at least something built using the same platform. And of course, the Italian automaker also has to have an obviously sporty product in its lineup, which sounds as though it could mean a complete rethink of the 4C.
Fedeli recently admitted, "In order to complete the Alfa range of products we need another couple of pillars – something in the C-Segment and then obviously a sporty product, a very sporty product."
The problem with the C-Segment is Fedeli concedes that it's "a very local market and not a global one," which he then went on to clarify means, "it's very difficult to make a profit."
An update to the 4C coupe and spider will be produced before the decision is finally made on whether to completely re-engineer and redesign the 4C.
