Alfa's U.S. relaunch in back on with the Alfa 4C

 

The achingly beautiful Alfa 4C seen at the Geneva show is to spearhead Alfa Romeo's U.S. relaunch in 2012.

Yeah, you're having flashbacks. "The achingly beautiful Alfa 8C is to spearhead Alfa's U.S. relaunch in 2009." Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne first announced in 2006 Alfa's return to the U.S. via Maserati dealerships, and that was supposed to happen by late 2007. Alfa has excuses for not making it back then, and by pausing while parent Fiat Auto cemented its relationship with Chrysler, Alfa now has access to a solid distribution system.

Where the 8C was front-engined and a bit retro, the 4C is a defiantly modern mid-engine car. The Geneva concept car is what the real thing will look like. The concept has a carbon-fiber body, sitting on a carbon tub by race car maker Dallara. For cost reasons, the production car might have to switch to some metal panelwork-it depends on sales predictions, which determine how much to invest in tooling for metal.

Alfa people swear the European price will be under 50,000 euros (or U.S. $71,000), which is what they pay over there for a mid-range Audi TT.

Power comes from a 1.8-liter four, mid-mounted for agility. Alfa historians will delight at the 1750cc capacity, as used back in the '60s, but this one's no relic. It has a turbo and direct injection and makes more than 230 horsepower, fed through a six-speed twin-clutch automated manual transmission.

With a 2100-pound target weight and the strong traction bestowed by its weight distribution, 0-60-mph performance should be somewhere in the low-5-second range.

The main event in terms of sales at Alfa's U.S. launch will be a crossover based on the Giulietta platform, which supports the next-generation Jeep Patriot/Compass. The Patriot and Compass will be consolidated into one model, and the Alfa will have unique sheetmetal.

The Giulietta is a highly regarded VW Golf rival in Europe, making it the most competitive mainstream car Alfa has made in decades. The platform has been designed for AWD, and for the wider track, various wheelbases, and bigger wheel housings of a crossover.

The Giulia four-door sedan will also arrive shortly after the crossover, again for model year 2013, and will be positioned as an Audi A4 rival. The Giulia uses a wider, longer version of the Alfa Giulietta's platform. The 1750 turbo engine will feature here, too, plus Chrysler's new V-6 and AWD options.

The Giulia will be built as sedan and sportwagon, although the wagon is less than likely for U.S. sales.

For 2014, Alfa will launch its small car in America. It's sold as the two-door MiTo in Europe, but the U.S. version will be launched after an extensive facelift and be sold here as a four-door hatch. Main engine is the 1.8 MultiAir developing 170 horsepower, though the 1750 is fitted to performance versions. The Giulietta will also wait for a facelift before launching in the U.S. in calendar year 2014.

That same year, the large Alfa crossover will launch, giving the company a vital rival to machinery such as the Lexus RX and BMW X5. It will be built in the U.S. down the same line as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango, with which it shares underpinnings. Like the small crossover, it will have all-Alfa sheetmetal, and will emphasize road performance over the Jeep's off-road ability. Fiat/Alfa is working on a 3.0-liter clean diesel for its version, plus a seven-speed version of the six-speed dual-clutch transmission.