Alfa Romeo 4C (2014)

CAR GARAGE | Alfa Romeo 4C (2014) | The delay stems from concerns about Alfa Among Officials Fiat's near-term sales prospects in light of the sovereign-debt crisis now affecting Several Euro-zone countries. Sergio Marchionne, CEO of the new Chrysler-Fiat alliance, the 2014 Alfa Romeo intends 4C to be a "halo" car That will help lift the brand's global sales to 400.000 units by mid-decade. Most telling of all, Alfa has canceled plans for its first-ever SUV, a US-built sister to the next-generation Jeep Compass / Patriot. Instead, Alfa will offer a large, rear-drive sedan derived from the next-generation Maserati Quattroporte at sister division; it's due sometime after 2014. Until then, American Fiat-Alfa dealers will have to get by with just the Fiat 500 and the exotic 4C. A barth is Fiat's in-house "tuner" operation akin to Mercedes' AMG unit.

Styling for the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C concept was created by Fiat's Turin studio and should carry over to the production models with few, if any changes. The design borrows elements from the 8C Competition, but the main inspiration is said to be the low-slung 33 Straddle of the late 1960s, a road-going version of the Alfa 33 racing car; only 18 were built. It also bears unique detailing like prominent upper-body-side lines That flow of water into large functional scoops at the door trailing edges - a tip-off to the rear / mid-engine powertrain layout - plus bulging fender lines and a turret- like roof with a semi-hidden windshield pillars and side-kicked-up window line. Like the McLaren MP4-12C and a few other modern sports cars, the new Alfa bookends its composite tub with aluminum sub frames That mount chassis and running gear and hardware are designed to absorb impact forces.

Assuming the Geneva concept is an accurate forecast, the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C should be powered by a tuned version of the turbocharged 1.7-liter 4-cylinder engine available in the brand's front-wheel-drive compact sedan Giulietta. Assuming engineers Curb weight Achieve Their target, the 4C should have a weight-to-power ratio of around 7.7 pounds / horsepower, versus 8.3 for the 320-horsepower 2.800-pound Porsche Cayman S, arguably the new Alfa's closest conceptual rival. Also for Reasons for weight-saving and simplicity, the 2014 Alfa Romeo production 4C is Likely to retain the concept's TCT dual-clutch transmission, a computer-controlled gearbox can be shifted manually That or set to operate like a conventional automatic.

Though U.S. pricing has yet to be set, Ciferri says the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C coupe will sell in Europe for about $ 62,000 at current exchange rates. That's a far cry from Alfa's last all-out sports car, the V8-powered 8C Competition coupe and Spider convertible, the which saw a combined production of only 1.000 units in 2007-08.  Front / rear weight distribution should remain in the region of 40/60 percent, the which is typical of a rear / mid-engine sports cars. Alfa's "DNA" system will almost Certainly be standard; it allows drivers to tailor steering, throttle, and transmission responses through Dynamic, Normal, and All-Weather modes.   Other features can not be confirmed yet, but we've no doubt the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C will come with all the conveniences and safety equipment expected of over-$ 60,000 cars.