Following a previous report on the Alfa Romeo Giulia’s launch being delayed, another one emerges adding the Maserati Alfieri and Alfa’s 5-Series rival to the list of delayed new models.

The report comes from Bloomberg and basically says that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is delaying the debut of several new models from Alfa Romeo and Maserati, as the company shifts spending in order to adjust to China’s declining growth.

Among the cars being delayed is the production version of the Maserati Alfieri and Alfa Romeo’s SUV and flagship sedan models. The original plan for Alfa’s 5-Series competitor was to get the car ready by 2017 but now, as the brand shifts spending into upgrading their Mito and Giulietta models, the new Alfa flagship might have to wait until 2018.

The discussion over investments through 2018 though is still ongoing, with no final decisions taken yet. Sergio Marchionne, FCA’s boss will unveil their revised plan in January according to the same sources.

The delays are just an example of China’s slowdown, forcing FCA to change their plan of investing €48 billion (around $51 billion) over the next five years in future products as the company will also lose the traditional profit generated by Ferrari.

The iconic Italian supercar maker announced earlier this week that they are borrowing around $2.6 billion to finance their way out of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, with FCA’s shareholders meeting later this week to approve the divorce.

As it turns out, Sergio Marchionne now will shift Alfa Romeo’s focus back to the European market and not push for growth in China with a large sedan, with the new plan now involving the revision of the compact Mito, which was considered dead in the original plan, and the upgrade of the Giulietta, both of them to be expected in the first half of 2016.

To add insult to injury, Alfa Romeo is also delaying by a few months the first deliveries of the Giulia sedan while the brand’s mid-sized SUV is now scheduled for early 2017.

Maserati will reveal the Levante SUV in March at the Geneva Motor Show while Jeep is also scheduled to unveil a new mid-sized SUV next year.

Everyone in the industry kind-of knew that FCA’s aggressive plan to turn Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Maserati into strong global brands was a really ambitious one. Let us pray though for Alfa Romeo and Maserati to get back on track, as they really do owe us some stunning cars.

Alfa Romeo SUV Render by Remco Meulendijk

PHOTO GALLERY