Auto Design

According to Turin and Detroit insiders, the famous Italian coachbuilder Zagato has just completed the new (and rather unusual) Alfa Romeo TZ 3 “Stradale” that was expected to be unveiled in May this year at the Concorso d’Eleganza di Villa d’Este but instead it will be seen in public for the first time at Pebble Beach in August. And that is for a good reason and a good cause, as we shall see in a moment. Read the rest of this entry »

I think it is time for Sergio Marchionne to present a gift to Italy, to his shareholders and to himself: sell Alfa Romeo to Volkswagen as soon as possible. At the best possible price, sure but without wasting time.

By selling now SM will avoid the embarrassment of missing to deliver what he has announced: sell half a million Alfa Romeo by 2015. There is no way he can do it, unless he is thinking of a range of Chrysler derivatives that would carry the Alfa Romeo shield but would be rebadged Chrysler. This can work for Lancia. Not for Alfa Romeo. Read the rest of this entry »

by Giancarlo Perini (c)

You can look back at the Paris Motor Show, the latest top-ranking of the season from many different perspectives: business as usual or new perspective, sexy style or strict functionality, economic status or talks between car-makers to discuss new alliance and even a show within the show. Indeed this is what tiny British carmaker Lotus has done in Paris. By presenting as many as 5 new concept-cars and mock-ups (Elise, Elan and Esprit, Elite and Eterne) the company has attracted a lot of attention from the media and caused a series of serious of questions now waiting for an answer.

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Can it just be a meaningless coincidence than 50% of the winners of the Car of the Century awards presented to top personalities of the Twentieth Century have been friends for almost 40 years and although both over 70, have a lot to share under the roof of Italdesign-Giugiaro?

Late in 1999, a jury of 132 professional automotive journalists from 33 different countries, under the presidency of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, awarded the title of Car of the Century’s to Ford’s T Model and the same awards to four top personalities in the car industry through the past century.

Their choice made up for a very impressive panel: Giorgetto Giugiaro was elected Car Designer of the Century, Ferdinand Porsche, Car Engineer of the Century, Henry Ford I Entrepreneur of the Century and Ferdinand Piëch Car Executive of the Century. Read the rest of this entry »

In addition to the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulietta, designed in house, there were three more Alfa Romeo dream-cars to look and scrutinize at the Geneva Motor Show opening early this March. Read the rest of this entry »

Those of you who read Car Styling magazine might have been puzzled by my report on the Geneva motor show published in the latest (and last?) issue of the magazine.
For some mysterious accident that are more common in the printed press than you can image my text was cut and mixed up. For a more accurate reading and for the records I am publishing here the original text. Just as a sign of respect for my readers.

Official statistics show that the latest and 80th Geneva Motor Show set a new record for “premieres”, with as many as eighty “new cars”, or so, unveiled for the first time there. Now, considering the space in the magazine is not growing with the number of new cars at motor shows, let’s go straight to the point and answer the usual questions: how was the show this year. What was relevant and worth recording for the years to come?

First I would say that I saw more irrelevant, disappointing or irritating cars (read designs) than interesting and attractive ones: be for their design or their lack of innovative ideas/concepts. A short list includes the Aston Martin Cygnet,  Renault Megane CC, Renault Wind and Toyota Auris.

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Bertone has announced that the dream car they have designed over the Maserati chassis shared by the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione will be named Pandion. The choice is consequent with Bertone’s tradition of naming their spectacular show car with animal names, such as the Alfa Romeo Testudo, Canguro, Carabo and Delfino. Read the rest of this entry »

The two-seater spider/roadster by Pininfarina

In addition to the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulietta, designed in house, there will be at least two more Alfa Romeo dream-cars to look and scrutinize at the Geneva Motor Show opening early this March. Read the rest of this entry »

The latest director of design for the Alfa Romeo brand, Christopher Reitz, has resigned recently and has already left his office in Turin. However his resignation has not been made official and even his own designers were not aware of the decision. His absence was said to be temporary and due to family “health” concern. Indeed, my well-placed source has confirmed he has resigned over frustration. For months designers at Alfa Romeo have been left with nothing to do by Marchionne’s decision to put every plans for new products on hold.

Reportedly the Alfa Romeo designers have not been given even the chance to practice their skill on a celebrative show-car for the Geneva Motor Show. Most likely they will have to wait until the end of April to learn about their future, when Sergio Marchionne (Sua Maestà, His Majesty, as he is referred to within Fiat) will unveil the new business plan for the entire Fiat Group Automobiles.

Mr. Reitz first joined Fiat in January 2005, from the London based Nissan Design Europe, as head of advanced design for the Fiat’s brands and in April 2008 he replaced Frank Stephenson at Alfa Romeo top design job. After graduating from the Art Center Europe College in Vevey, Switzerland; Reitz joined the Volkswagen Design Centre in Wolfsburg for three years. In 1996 he moved to Ingolstadt at Audi design.

Alfa Romeo has released the first official picture of its new Alfa Romeo Giulietta, thus confirming the past speculation on the naming of the heir to the Alfa Romeo 147 hatchback first launched in year 2000. The new compact 4 door, five seater, Alfa Romeo will make its official unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show shortly before going on sale, in summer, in Europe and in most extra-European markets (including Japan) in Autumn next year. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta ( after the Milano label has been killed last Friday) is going to be a very symbolic and relevant car for the brand. On one side it will the latest mass production Alfa Romeo in the first 100 years of the company history. On the other side this will be one of the first Alfa Romeo, if not the very first, to go on sale in the U.S.A. following the alliance of Fiat Group Automobiles with the new Chrysler Group, unless Marchionne decide otherwise, int the next weeks. Its platform would also be shared by Dodge which has plans to design and produce a sporty hatchback of this size for its own market. If so, it will certainly be of great interest to see how designer Ralph Gilles, recently appointed also President and CEO of the Dodge Brand and his team will exploit the “European” package. Alfa Romeo is not saying much about its new car at this time but our sources says it is a major development of the FGA new “compact” platform based on Alfa Romeo recent experience, with upgraded suspensions and mechanics. These have been engineered to place the Giulietta at the top of its class an din view of the amazing 1.7 litre four-cylinder, turbocharged with direct injection powerplant (with dual clutch gearbox) credited of 230 HP due to be launched 12 to 18 months after the introduction.

In comparison with its predecessor, the overall dimensions have increased for wheelbase, length and width and its range of engine has been expanded and renewed.

At the entry level there will be the ubiquitous 1.4 litre, four-cylinder, Multiair proposed in different output versions, starting at 120 HP . So far for the new, typically Alfa Romeo, gasoline engines. In addition the Alfa Romeo will also be available with multijet turbodiesel JTDM engine in both the 1.6 and 2.0 litre displacement versions delivering 105 to 170 HP. All engines are new and most of them come with the exclusive Multiair technology that improves performance while cutting emissions, and with Start&Stop. As the first official picture shows, the source of inspiration for the design of the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta has been once again the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. Just as it was for the smaller Alfa Romeo MiTo.