Under the new schedule, the four small cars previously planned for Chrysler and Dodge, two for each brand, which would have been assembled by Fiat and be launched this year, are now dead.
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This week, our spies nabbed a pre-production prototype of the 4C testing in Europe. While Alfa Romeo's engineers had the car covered almost from top to bottom, we can still see all some of the styling modifications made over the impressive concept displayed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
These include the addition of new exterior mirrors with a larger surface mounted on the doors, the visible door handles positioned right in front of the side air vents, the new circular tail lamp fixtures, and the redesigned (and dare we say, more impressive looking) diffuser at the rear end that also gains a set of auxiliary lights.
When Alfa presented the study two years ago, it told us that the 4C features a 1.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine coupled to a dual-clutch transmission driving the rear wheels. We still don’t know how strong the engine is, but the word on the street is could deliver 300 or more horses.
"We're finalizing the car now, so it should be here by the end of the year," said Marchionne, according to a report from the Detroit News. "It's ready in the sense of all the work with architecture and types of models."
The mid-engine 4C was introduced as a near-production concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and was recently spotted testing in Michigan. Alfa hinted at the presentation of the final production model at the end of last year, likely pointing towards the Geneva Motor Show in March for the big reveal.
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Today, the two companies announced the signing of the Final Agreement, which stipulates that the Japanese carmaker will produce an open-top two-seater sports car at its Hiroshima plant from 2015.
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In our 2013 NAIAS review we wrote that, compared to GM and Ford, not to mention foreign carmakers, the Fiat-Chrysler Group presence was underwhelming and we were wondering where Alfa Romeo was.
Apparently, others were thinking along the same line so they questioned the group’s CEO about it. Sergio Marchionne replied that he won’t be bringing the brand to the U.S. until the –long overdue- 159 mid-size sedan replacement, aka the Giulia, is perfect.
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A reader from the online edition of Autoweek magazine captured a heavily camouflaged prototype of the 4C testing on a Michigan expressway last Friday, January 11.
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For the near future, the Italians have promised us at least two new sports models, the 4C mid-engine coupe and the next Mazda MX-5-based Spider, both of which are expected to be less spectacular than the 8C, but also much more affordable.
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