There was a time when Alfa Romeos were more than good enough to compete with BMWs. The trouble is that this was some decades ago. Still, the Italian automaker wants to return to past glories – soon.
During the Detroit Auto Show, Alfa CEO Harald Wester said that the brand will show its new direction on June 24, when the new mid-size saloon will eventually be unveiled in Italy, before going on sale in the US this summer.
Parent company FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne wouldn’t comment on whether it will be named “Giulia” or not, but he acknowledged that the Giulia and Giulietta “are milestones in Alfa’s history, which are worthwhile to be considered”. What he did say is that it will “play with the big boys” in the premium segment, which is quite ambitious given the current state of affairs…
More importantly, according to Autonews, he added that the 159 replacement range will include a performance version to compete with the BMW 3-Series. That will be an M3/M4 rival then, probably with a reworked Ghibli/Quattroporte turbocharged V6 good for 480hp under the bonnet.
The latest plan devised by Marchionne calls for Alfa Romeo to reach 400,000 sales per year by 2018, with 150,000 of these coming from the North American market.
The upcoming saloon is a make-or-break model for its US dealers because it is the first high-volume product to be sold in the country after Alfa’s withdrawal in 1995. A lot of its return rides on the success of this car, so it’d better be a good one.
Technically, Alfa Romeo is back in the US since November, with the introduction of the 4C sports car. The 91 units sold during the last two months of 2014 hardly seem to herald a true comeback, though.
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