Leaked Alfa Romeo Supercar Images Stir Excitement, but There's a Catch
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector
Social media and automotive forums have been abuzz recently over images of what appeared to be a mysterious new Alfa Romeo supercar, speculated to be a successor to the iconic 33 Stradale. Enthusiasts quickly shared theories and excitement about the Italian brand's next exclusive performance model, but insiders now say the reality is far less exciting.
Initial images, which spread rapidly across car-focused platforms, depicted a vehicle closely resembling Alfa Romeo's existing 33 Stradale hypercar, albeit with subtle visual variations. Fans and automotive media alike seized upon these minor differences as evidence that Alfa Romeo might soon unveil another exclusive, limited-run sports car. Given the legendary status of the original 33 Stradale and Alfa Romeo's enduring enthusiast following, the speculation gained remarkable traction in mere days.
However, credible sources have confirmed that these images do not preview an upcoming Alfa Romeo vehicle. Instead, they originate from a design patent filed by Stellantis in 2022 for the current 33 Stradale. The patent illustrations are not indicative of a future variant but rather early conceptual visuals associated with the existing supercar.
While this particular leak may not point to Alfa Romeo's immediate plans, the brand continues to strategically develop its high-performance portfolio. Former Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato previously hinted at plans to introduce more limited-edition and ultra-exclusive models over the coming years. Stellantis, Alfa Romeo's parent company, remains committed to positioning Alfa Romeo as a premium, performance-driven marque, suggesting that while this leak doesn't represent a real upcoming model, the excitement among fans isn't entirely misplaced.
For now, Alfa Romeo enthusiasts will need to wait a bit longer for the next true revelation from the storied Italian brand.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
14 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Chrysler to launch 3 new vehicles by 2026 in bid to save struggling brand.
When Chrysler threw a party for itself to celebrate its 100th birthday this month, it rolled out an assortment of classic models, from the 1930s-era Airflow sedan to recent concepts like the 2004 ME Four-Twelve and 2022 Halcyon. But there was something missing from the field: new product. The closest the automaker could come was a "special edition" Pacifica minivan. Chrysler is a brand in trouble. Since the last 300 sedan rolled off the assembly line in December 2023 it has had just one product line in U.S. showrooms: the Pacifica minivan. Plans to bring out a production version of the well-received Airflow concept of a few years back have been scuttled. With sales totaling just 119,389 last year, former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was reportedly questioning whether it might be time to pull the plug on the brand. That's something his successor, Antonio Filosa, will now have to consider. But Chrysler officials insist they're entering their second century from a position of strength, with the brand finally getting ready to start filling up showrooms with new products starting next year. And that Halcyon show car, they told Autoblog, gives us a good sense of what's coming. Ironically, the widely acclaimed Airflow show car may have been too successful for its own good, according to Christine Fuell, Chrysler's CEO. First shown at the 2022 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, it harkened back to the cutting-edge aerodynamics of the original, production Chrysler Airflow which was built between 1934 and 1937. The all-electric show car was widely expected to go into production about now, but the "very favorable response" it got from the public was something that actually worried Chrysler executives who questioned whether the design would seem dated by the time it got into production. "Maybe we're not being innovative and creative enough," Feuell said during an interview at the Chrysler 100 birthday bash. "We felt we needed to take more risks," Feuell said. The Chrysler management team decided to send Stellantis global design chief Ralph Gilles and his team back to the drawing board. For his part, Gilles felt it was fortuitous timing. Airflow was designed to be all-electric. But as the product development team started over, parent Stellantis was just finishing up development on a series of new "architectures." The STLA Large platform was designed to be "multi-energy," meaning it could use a variety of different powertrain technologies, from conventional internal combustion to battery-electric, and an assortment of "hybridized" options in between. It was "perfect for the market," said Gilles. Now, they just needed to push the design envelope ever further. They did it with Halcyon, a concept that made its debut in February 2024. Like Airflow, the four-door Chrysler Halcyon Concept put a premium on range-extending aerodynamics. But it was designed to push the comfort level with features like its ""air blade" front end literally knifes through the air, reducing turbulence as air flows over the show car's steeply raked windshield. Narrow side mirrors further reduce drag. At highway speeds, Halcyon rides just four inches off the road surface, another aero-enhancing feature. Air curtains reduce turbulence around the front wheels. The show car has been clearly polarizing, though it seems to be growing on reviewers, and the public, according to both Feuell and Gilles. Clearly, the concept pushes things a little too far for most applications to go into production – with features like its rear "suicide" doors, camera mirrors and a yoke replacing the conventional steering wheel. But the basic design theme is the model for an upcoming wave of new Chrysler products. That will start with a complete makeover of the Pacifica coming in 2026. The new minivan is "inspired by Halcyon," said Feuell, noting that Chrysler obviously had to hew to the unique customer needs that define a modern family-mover. But the new Airflow will utilize key design cues from the concept vehicle to deliver greater energy efficiency than the outgoing model. While the CEO wouldn't discuss specific details, she confirmed that the next-gen Pacifica Hybrid package will get an upgrade to its plug-in drive that will yield more than the current PHEV's 32 miles per charge. That will be helped by a planned switch from today's 400-volt electrical system to an 800-volt architecture that should also quicken charging times, several insiders suggested. At least two other new Chrysler products are in the works, said Fuell. "We need to be in at least three segments for the Chrysler brand to continue to grow and thrive." That's on top of other potential variants on those three product lines. What Feuell described as "our first new model in more than 10 years" will be a D-segment crossover also based off the STLA Large – pronounced "Stella-Large" – platform. Think of products like the Hyundai Santa Fe or BMW X5, among many others, though the Chrysler CEO stressed that the design will "be a vast departure from the sea of sameness" that has become the norm with today's EVs and crossovers. "It has to be gorgeous and compelling," added Gilles, "a vehicle that ages well." As for the third Chrysler product, final development is still underway, but the Stellantis brand is clearly aiming for a "segment-buster" that won't fall into any easy niche. This one very well could come closer to a production version of the Halcyon Concept. There's "a lot of white space (Chrysler) can serve" that fellow Stellantis brands Jeep, Dodge and Ram "can't" said Gilles, because of their narrowly defined missions. "We're looking for the gaps that aren't being served and which may not fall into current segments." When the Airflow concept first appeared, Chrysler laid out a course that was expected to transform it into an all-electric brand by the end of the decade. As we're seeing across the industry, management is backing away from that commitment, and STLA Large and other new Stellantis platforms give it more flexibility to meet shifting market demands. A year ago, Filosa – then head of the Jeep brand – told me that Stellantis was working up six distinct powertrain technologies: ICE, mild, conventional and plug-in hybrids, range-extenders and pure battery-electric. Future products, he said, would be offered with as many as three of those options. That, said Feuell, is the approach going forward, now that Filosa is running the whole show. The upcoming, Halcyon-based SUV, for one, initially will launch with some sort of hybrid drive package, Feuell revealed, followed by a gas-only model. Later on, Chrysler will add an all-electric package. In the months after Stellantis was formed by the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France's Groupe PSA, Tavares insisted the Euro-American automakers had the resources to support all 14 of its global brands. As its sales and earnings tumbled last year, he began having second thoughts. "We cannot afford to have brands that do not make money," Tavares said during a second-quarter 2024 earnings call. "If they don't make money, we'll shut them down." Tavares unexpectedly handed in his resignation last December, following a dispute with the Stellantis board over his proposed turnaround plan. Now, with Filosa stepping into his shoes, there's been speculation the new CEO might have to serve as brand executioner. Among the marques most frequently cited are Fiat, Lancia and Chrysler. For her part, Feuell puts on a brave face. "There's never be one conversation among our executive teams about Chrysler going away," she said last week, insisting, Filosa "has been an enthusiastic supporter of Chrysler." Whether the brand retains the new CEO's support will be put to the test in short order as Chrysler finally starts rolling out its much-needed new products. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Chicago Tribune
15 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
This month could test buyers' hunger for new vehicles as non-tariffed inventories dry up
Consumers' hunger for new vehicles persisted in May, but affordability concerns could cool sales this month as dealerships start running short on cars and SUVs delivered ahead of President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs. Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales increased 16% year-over-year last month. Hyundai Motor Co.'s grew 8%, while Kia Corp.'s rose 5%. Subaru Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp., however, did report declines of 10% and 19%, respectively. General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV will report second-quarter sales next month. Spring typically marks a surge in vehicle sales, as tax returns hit bank accounts and the weather warms up. But consumer sentiment has plunged to some of its lowest levels in decades amid frequently changing rules on tariffs, and concerns that vehicle prices could climb later this year have led some consumers to pull forward their purchases. S&P Global Mobility forecasted May sales up 2% compared to a year ago, but predicted sales were slowing to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15.7 million vehicles, down from 17.6 million from March to April. 'Consumer confidence is down, but the sales are not,' said Stephanie Brinley, associate director of research and analysis at S&P's AutoIntelligence. 'It doesn't usually work that way.' With inventories down and non-tariffed models increasingly eaten up, the 'affordability bullet has not come through yet. There's a little bit of wait-and-see for what automakers really do,' Brinley added, noting June could start revealing the direction companies choose to take. Some have given consumers confidence that they can wait a bit. Ford, through the July 4 weekend, is offering its customers thousands of dollars per vehicle in discounts typically reserved for its employees, though in early May, it did increase by up to $2,000 the price of its Mexico-built vehicles because of tariffs. Stellantis — the parent of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and other brands — is offering a similar employee discount program, which it has extended through June. Volkswagen AG has said it will hold to its current manufacturer's suggested retail prices through June. GM CEO Mary Barra has said the automaker doesn't expect major price increases. But imports are expected to slow, which will mean less availability of vehicles and encourage price increases, Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist at dealer digital services provider Cox Automotive Inc., said in a May forecast. 'As more tariffed products replace existing inventory over the summer,' he said, 'prices are expected to be pushed higher, leading to slower sales in the coming months.' Some dealers are already noticing some wariness. 'I haven't seen people this cautious since before, or during, the early stages of COVID,' said Jim Walen, the owner of Stellantis and Hyundai showrooms in Seattle. The ports in Seattle look 'empty,' he said. Major layoffs in Washington by Microsoft Corp. haven't helped business either. Stellantis' employee discount program, however, is a boon: 'Anytime you can affect the transaction price, it's a good thing.' Meanwhile, some dealers are going to pull back over revenue concerns, Walen said, but he's taking a different approach: 'We're very aggressive. We stock a lot, we're part of the community, we advertise a lot.' Some pull-ahead sales still seem to be occurring over tariff concerns, but other shoppers are dropping out of the market altogether, said Ivan Drury, director of insights at auto information website Inc. It may still be too early to determine if the circumstances will affect vehicle segments, but for now, there appears to be limited downgrading, as some customers would rather hold off than get a vehicle without certain features. There are also wide-ranging views on tariffs, how they work and the impact they will have, he added: 'Not everybody's on the same page.' There, however, are some trends. More consumers bought out their leases in May than in April, rather than leasing again. That could be a sign customers are seeking to limit increases to their monthly payments, but it also means they're stepping out of the market, Drury said. He added that inventory is declining, but there's still too much stock — more than 2.5 million vehicles are on dealer lots — to see substantial price increases. 'The last time when we had people really get hit with price increases, where it took them back, was when we were down to 1 million units,' Drury said. 'And that's where you start to see that crossover between consumers getting a deal versus consumers just dealing and saying, 'OK, fine, I'll pay MSRP. I'll pay above.' ' The share of electric vehicles in the market was forecasted to continue slipping. EV share was about 7% in March and April, and S&P was predicting it would be 6.8% in May. Ford EV sales last month were down by a quarter, driven by decreases in the F-150 Lightning pickup and Transit commercial van. Trump has pulled federal funding for EV charging infrastructure and directed his administration to reevaluate greenhouse gas tailpipe emission regulations and incentives that could be construed as an 'EV mandate.' The U.S. Senate last month also removed a waiver that enabled California and a contingent of states to enforce stricter zero-emission requirements on passenger vehicle sales. The result is an uncertain policy environment around EVs. 'They've been trending a little bit down the whole year,' Brinley said. 'It may be some people looking for an EV in January bought, expecting the incentives to go away, but they're not afraid of that anymore.' Rhett Ricart, who has eight new-vehicle storefronts for brands from Ford and Chevrolet to Nissan and Mitsubishi in and near Columbus, Ohio, said tariffs and policy changes are on the minds of EV buyers, but he otherwise describes sales as normal. 'A possible tariff scare people had doesn't seem to exist,' Ricart said, adding about expectations that Trump or the judicial system will offer some clarity on import taxes: 'For any jitteriness, we will hopefully find out if the tariffs stick soon.'
Bloomberg
19 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Auto Parts Supplier Marelli Plans Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing
Marelli Holdings Co., the struggling auto parts supplier for Nissan Motor Co., Stellantis NV and other carmakers, plans to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US to slash its debt burden and restructure under new ownership, according to people familiar with the matter. Should the proposal go through, global investment firm Strategic Value Partners LLC, led by Victor Khosla, will effectively become the new owner of Marelli after it led a deal that satisfied creditors, one of the people said, who asked not to be identified because the information isn't public.
