Alfa Romeo seems to have a big problem with delivering on promises. Although the upcoming Giulia looks epic, production delays have postponed the sedan's arrival in the US. As of now, the 4C is the only available model from the Italian automaker. The 4C is an interesting little sports car, but we doubt that many people will be cross shopping it with higher-volume models from BMW or Porsche. In order to truly compete with other luxury automakers, Alfa needs to deliver on its promises and bring more cars stateside!
Alfa has been promising a full US return with a $6 billion investment. We know that Alfa is working on the Giulia sedan and the Stelvio SUV. These models should be nice Italian alternatives to the BMW 3 Series and X3. It's a start, but it's going to take a whole lot more than that to conquer the Germans. In order to compete with BMW, Alfa needs to build at least two more sedans. A sedan slotted above the Giulia would compete with the 5 Series and a future QV version could give the next-generation M5 something to worry about. The Giulia QV already makes 510 horsepower from a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6. Imagine a midsize sedan that borrows the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 from the Ferrari California T tuned to about 600 horsepower!
Next, Alfa Romeo needs to take on the 7 Series with a full-size luxury model. German automakers have always stuffed tons of technology into flagship luxury cars. The 7 Series, S-Class, and Audi A8 are all state-of-the-art and represent the best of what BMW, Mercedes, and Audi can build. An Italian take on a large luxury car should be very different. Rather than shoving technology features in your face, the Alfa Romeo model could focus on extreme elegance, keeping technology in the background. For example, a Rolls-Royce Phantom has BMW technology, but it all works in a more simplistic way and can be hidden from view. Imagine how nice an Italian-styled luxury interior could be!
Finally, we feel that a more conventional sports car would help round out the Alfa Romeo lineup. The current 4C is interesting, but it makes the Porsche Cayman look like a practical family runabout. Alfa Romeo was supposed to build a new Spider based on the Mazda Miata. Alfa's plans have changed and we now know that the Mazda-based car will be the Fiat 124. We think that neglecting to have a model in this category is a mistake. A two-seater front-engined convertible would be a nice competitor for the new Audi TT and Mercedes SLC. The 4C is a nice model, but we don't think that it will really help Alfa reach its sales goals in the US. So to recap: more cars and less broken promises. Easy, right?
