Latest news with #CristianoFiorio
Top Gear
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Alfa Romeo is going racing again… with a sailing boat
First Look Storied automotive brand will compete in the Americas Cup, which is famous for not having cars in it Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Spot the odd one out: a) Formula 1, b) Le Mans, c) the European Touring Car Championship, d) the America's Cup. If you said d), congratulations! You've successfully identified the one that isn't motorsport. That isn't stopping Alfa Romeo though. The Italian brand – known the world over for its cars, which are also known the world over for not really working very well on water – is entering the 2027 America's Cup in partnership with sailing outfit Luna Rossa Team. Let's get #AlfaLogic trending immediately. Advertisement - Page continues below But 'it's not just about putting a logo on the sails or on the boat' says team skipper Max Sirena. 'We actually started the engineering work and transfer between the two teams even way before signing the contract.' Allow us to explain. Sort of. Alfa argues that there will be an 'exchange' of know-how that will benefit both it and the sailing team, chiefly in aerodynamics, materials and (please don't snigger back there) quality control. You might like And there will legit be some Luna Rossa-based limited edition Alfas too. 'I don't want to reveal too much, but the idea is to make some specific cars, developed together with Luna Rossa,' teases Cristiano Fiorio, head of global marketing, communication and strategic projects. 'That means some performance cars, some limited edition cars that will embed the best know-how of both brands. We believe that a limited edition of cars carved together with Luna Rossa Team will be the answer to sell, as we were saying, additional cars. Advertisement - Page continues below 'So ideally we want to do something a little more bespoke, maybe more limited, and we are also working on ideas that can touch a higher number of people, because the DNA of Alfa Romeo is doing something very hard and very strong.' So not necessarily just themed trim levels for stuff like the Junior and Stelvio EV. More as we have it/understand what the heck is going on. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.
Motor 1
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Alfa Romeo Won't Make a Sports Car Unless You Keep Buying SUVs
Enthusiasts could argue that Alfa Romeo has been selling its soul to the SUV overlords since the Stelvio debuted a decade ago. The smaller Tonale and Milano crossovers also run counter to what the fabled Italian automaker traditionally stands for. A larger SUV to rival the Porsche Cayenne is expected later this decade, further aggravating diehard fans of the Torino-based company. But the harsh reality is that these models help Alfa Romeo keep the lights on. Where would the company be today without Stellantis backing SUV production? It's not like it was flourishing in the days of the 159 or the decades before. The brand's marketing boss admits there isn't enough funding to develop a new sports car. Cristiano Fiorio told Car Magazine that it's essential for the mainstream models to generate sales before executives approve a more exciting vehicle. "We have to start from credibility: doing one model every year, proving that we are able to execute, to make it profitable, to make numbers which are acceptable for the investment we have made. Once we have a track record on that, then we can dream." The statement makes it clear: Alfa Romeo has bigger fish to fry than building a niche performance car. The 8C and GTV revivals were canceled in 2019 before reaching production, and the last 4C was assembled just a year later. It appears a new performance model is off the table for now, and only likely if SUV sales perform well. We haven't forgotten about the Giulia, but even that sedan will be replaced with something different. Newly appointed CEO Santo Ficili confirmed that the next-generation model will abandon the traditional three-box layout for a new body style . Reports suggest it'll be a slightly lifted five-door liftback in the vein of the Peugeot 408, edging closer to the SUV formula. Although the 33 Stradale may seem like a contradiction to Fiorio's comments, the supercar was essentially a side project. Fiorio explains that the stunning coupe with butterfly doors was developed after hours by a 'crazy bunch of people' to avoid disrupting daily operations. Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale 69 Of course, it helped that the 33 Stradale shares a strong relationship with the Maserati MC20 . It partially borrows the carbon tub and aluminum subframes at both ends. The twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 is also closely related, so Alfa Romeo didn't exactly start from scratch. That said, considerable effort went into making the flagship feel unique, with bespoke exterior and interior designs and a multi-link suspension featuring adaptive dampers derived from the Giulia GTAm . When the time eventually comes for a new performance model, it will be more 'reachable' than the 33 Stradale, so Fiorio is implying it won't carry a seven-figure price tag. It's too early to say whether such a car would be an entirely in-house project or if Alfa Romeo would lean on Stellantis to adapt an existing architecture. Developing a new car from scratch is costly, especially when it's aimed at a niche audience. Alfa Romeo is retiring the multi-billion-euro Giorgio platform after the current Stelvio and Giulia are phased out, so a future sports car would likely ride on Stellantis bones. Realistically, the car is unlikely to come out until closer to the end of the decade or early 2030s. Buy The New Stelvio And Alfa Romeo Might Launch A New Sports Car: Here's the New Alfa Romeo Stelvio Before You're Supposed to See It New Alfa Romeo Stelvio: First Official Look Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: Car Magazine Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
It's Your Fault Alfa Romeo Doesn't Build Cool Sports Cars Anymore
If you picture an Alfa Romeo in your mind, what kind of car pops into your head? If you're anything like me, it's probably something small, with no roof and slick, sporty stylings. If you look at the cars that Alfa actually sells in America right now, though, the reality isn't much like that at all. This, it turns out, is actually all your fault. The 2025 Alfa Romeo lineup here in the U.S. includes the Giulia sedan and two SUVs: the Stelvio and the Tonale. There are no convertibles, no two-seater models and, with the exception of the Giulia in its Quadrifoglio spec, nothing very sporty. How un-Alfa. The Italian automaker is now investing heavily in its range to offer new cars that can be specced as hybrid or fully electric models across its sedans and SUVs. But now, a report from Auto Express warns that the new platform might not mean that a new sports car is on the horizon for Alfa Romeo. Read more: These New Cars Just Aren't Worth The Money Instead of kicking off this new iteration of Alfa Romeo with an aspirational sports car, the new lineup will instead focus on "mainstream" models, reports Auto Express. This, the company claims, will give it the chance to prove to the Stellantis bigwigs that it can sell cars in serious numbers, as the site reports: [Alfa's marketing boss Cristiano Fiorio said]: "We have to generate credibility, so do one model every year and prove that we are able to execute that, make it profitable and make numbers which are acceptable for the investment. Once we have a track record on that, then we can dream." That dream, if you're wondering, is another pure performance car, Fiorio told the site. It's a dream that he claims is shared by the company's executives, engineers and Alfa fans around the world, but it's one that won't materialize until it can sell more cars. In order to muster up more sales, Alfa Romeo will offer its next generation cars on a shared platform that can run on electric power or with a hybrid powertrain. The "huge investment" that's gone into this new platform will underpin the new Stelvio, which will launch this year, and the next-generation Guilia that will follow in 2026. This could mean that, by the time sales ramp up, Alfa will have the technical know-how to put together a real flagship electric sports car that could compete with new performance EVs in development from the likes of Alpine, Lotus, and Caterham. The company isn't giving anything away, though, and instead said that "flexibility is key" when it comes to developing an aspirational model such as this. The last flagship sports car from the Italian brand was the 33 Stradale, which was offered with a V6 motor or as an EV. Alfa made just 33 of the cars, and they all sold out months ago. Of course, whether it runs on batteries or gas, the development of a new Alfa sports car is a moot point if sales don't kick up a few gears for the Italian brand. If 2024 is anything to go by, then it might not be worth holding your breath for a new flagship. Over the course of the year, Alfa sold just 8,865 cars here in the U.S., which marked a 19% drop compared with a year previously. This isn't the kind of trend that would lead to an adorable new sports car from Alfa Romeo, so I'm gonna need you all to hustle and buy an Alfa, OK? If you need a little push to encourage you down to your local Alfa dealer, then check out our review of the Giulia, which is one of the best driving sports sedans on the market today. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
