Earnings Report Shows Fiat Chrysler Giving Alfa Romeo All the Attention It Deserves - Which Apparently Isn't Much

by Steph Willems

November 1st, 2019 1:09 PM

earnings report shows fiat chrysler giving alfa romeo all the attention it deserves

Sports car fans had best brace themselves for a big letdown. Fiat Chrysler, currently pursuing a merger with France’s Groupe PSA, has given investors a peak at future high-end product, and two anticipated models seem to have fallen off the drawing board.

Those products would be the reborn Alfa Romeo GTV and 8C, which are nowhere to be seen in the brand’s near-future product timeline. However, if crossovers are your thing, you’re in luck.

In classic FCA tradition, the five-year product plan released in mid-2018 has apparently undergone a revision. Under a banner reading “Refocus brand on its strengths while efficiently deploying capital,” the plan now shows a refreshed Giulia sedan and Stelvio crossover appearing for 2021, joined at the same time by a C-segment CUV with an available plug-in hybrid powertrain. The latter model, riding atop the same platform used by the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X, is believed to borrow the Tonale name used by a recent concept vehicle.

Following the Tonale, Alfa plans to launch a B-segment CUV for 2022. This model will spawn a fully-electric variant.

All that said, there’s no sign of the GTV, a sporty 2+2 coupe that first appeared in Alfa’s lineup in the 1970s as an Alfetta trim. The model, which quickly dropped the Alfetta name and ended production in 1987, was resurrected in the mid-1990s as a slinky tourer, wrapping up production in 2004. FCA has planned to return the GTV name, with an appearance expected in 2021.

The 8C nameplate goes back much further, all the way to Alfa’s road and race cars of the early 1930s. A reborn two-seater bearing the 8C Competizione name appeared in 2007 in coupe and convertible guise, disappearing after 2010.

Whether FCA has postponed the introductions or scrapped the plan altogether isn’t certain, but the updated timeline and associated wording pretty much screams that the latter scenario is true. The company’s merger plans may have played a role in Alfa’s future product.

As reported by Autocar, FCA CEO Mike Manley said during an earnings call this week that Alfa’s future product lineup has been “significantly scaled back, with a corresponding reduction in capital spending.” Bummer for those not in the mood for a sometimes-temperamental sedan or a crossover.

[Image: Chris Tonn/TTAC]

#8C #Alfa #AlfaRomeo #AlfaRomeoGTV #Fca #FiatChryslerAutomobiles #FutureModels #Gtv #ProductPlanning

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3 of 27 comments

Lokki on Nov 02, 2019

Sigh... Alfa Romeo: Breaking owners’ hearts since 1910. Ask the man who owns one...

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- Morea on Nov 02, 2019
  
  Always Looking For Another.
  
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Hydromatic on Nov 02, 2019

You know, all of this nonsense could have been avoided if it wasn't for the 25-year rule and other onerous U.S.-specific regs preventing gray market imports of these vehicles. Imagine if the die-hard Alfisti could simply buy their beloved 159s and Giulias either directly overseas or through a specialist importer. Alfa Romeo and Fiat would have no need to waste money setting up shop here just so a small pool of customers could get their fix.

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Jeff S Some of us don't care either way we are not into this type of car. Most of these will be stored in garages waiting for their value to go up. As someone above noted this is an old body style which is retro 70s Challenger which after researching it came out in the 2008 MY which means a long run for a model that is in its 16th year. I have always liked these but if I bought one I would not spend this kind of money on one probably get the V-6 version and use it as a family car but then I am not into drag racing or muscle cars. For the type of car it is it has a decent rear seat and not too bad of a trunk. Most of us are not going to spend 100k for any vehicle at least currently so its not something most of us will buy and stick in a garage waiting for its value to increase. I am glad that these editions came out for those who can afford them and it keeps a little more color into what has become a very dull vehicle market but then with age I pick the dull appliance like reliable vehicle because that's what I need. Impressive car but not for me.
Jonathan The Germans. So organized they can appear disorganized. I agree with some others, classic names like Thunderbird, Imperial, Grand Prix, Ambassador etc. just have more appeal.
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MrIcky I think the Shakedown is more my speed of the last call editions- but this is impressive.
Dukeisduke I tried watching the live reveal last night, but after 15 minutes of jawing by MT+ personalities (and yes, I like Chris Jacobs and Alex Taylor), I turned it off.