Fiat has announced the Alfa Romeo 4C will be built by Maserati in Modena, Italy. Production of Alfa Romeo’s new halo model will commence in May next year with an expected production of up to 2,500 units per year. The Alfa Romeo 4C is likely to mark Alfa’s return to the United States.

The Alfa Romeo 4C is a small lightweight sports car which made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011. The car will weigh only 850-900kg and will be powered by an aluminum 1.8 liter turbocharged engine which provides ‒ depending on the rumours ‒ 230 horsepower, although 300 has been mentioned as well.

With a power-to-weight ratio of below 4kg/hp, the rear-wheel drive Alfa 4C should be able to sprint to 100km/h from standstill in less than five seconds, while it’s top speed should be around 250km/h.

The small, light and powerful Italian sports car will probably cost € 50,000 ($ 66,000), making the 4C a serious competitor for the Porsche Cayman and Lotus Exige.

According to David Wase of DC Alfas:

The decision was said to have been made because Maserati has in place the necessary capability to build low volume, high quality production models.

Exciting news!

DCALfas’ member, Bob Lubran alerted us to Bloomberg News’ April 19 story that further confirms Alfa’s return to the United States beginning with the introduction of the 2-seat 4C high performance spider. The Bloomberg story was headlined by Alfa Romeo’s registration of trademarks related to the Alfa 4C:

Marchionne, 59, said April 4 that that the 4C will go on sale in North America by the end of 2013. The Alfa Romeo 4C trademark, covering accessories such as clothing and toys as well as the vehicle and parts, was issued by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 10, according to a release posted late yesterday on the U.S. Federal News Service.

Perhaps of greater interest was the apparent confirmation of what some Alfisti including those of us at DCAlfas.org have long discussed as Alfa’s necessary strategy:  The success of Alfa in the US will only occur by producing BMW-class automobiles but with price tags that will make them stand-outs in the marketplace.  Currently, Alfa plans to produce an initial line up of 6 models including sport-utility vehicles:

Fiat Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne plans to remake Alfa into a luxury brand to compete with industry leader Bayerische Motoren Werke AG. (BMW) Developing a full range of models for Alfa and focusing on North America’s car-market growth are crucial to his strategy of boosting combined revenue…

Clearly, Marchionne has his sights set on a personal legacy of remaking FIAT into something more than just a profitable car company and Alfa Romeo into something more than a derivative brand of re-styled FIATS or re-badged Dodges.  Nothing would assure his legacy more than a successful challenge to an industry leader such as BMW.

Full article on Bloomberg: Bloomberg 4C Registration

Thanks to David Wase, editor of DC Alfas for the update!

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