Stop us if you've heard this one before, but Maserati and Alfa Romeo may be mulling production delays. Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, says that sluggish sales in China are to blame. Said slow sales directly impact the immediate future of the Maserati Alfieri, a simply stunning grand tourer. They also impact the upcoming Alfa Romeo SUV, said to be based off of the simply stunning Giulia sedan. Oh, and a rumored Alfa BMW 5 Series competitor has also been put on hold until beyond 2017.

The sources were blunt, saying that the Alfieri and Alfa SUV won't be going on sale in 2016. Despite acquiring tons of cash in the Ferrari spinoff, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is still struggling to make Alfa Romeo profitable. The Giulia appears to have the skills to pay the bills but it's entering a crowded space. It's also not an SUV, which seems to be a requirement for good sales nowadays. With Ferrari gone Maserati was supposed to step up, with FCA imagining that it could become the next high-profile luxury brand. Well, it's kind of hard to be the next Ferrari if you keep postponing the release of your sexy grand tourer. Of course there is that SUV to look forward to, right?

Yeah, the Maserati Levante SUV will certainly snag sales but it won't exactly make anyone think different of the company. Hell, they may still go on not even thinking of Maserati at all. Bloomberg's sources say that nothing is final so take this report as a rumor.