Photo: Alfa Romeo
From 2005 to 2011, the Alfa Romeo plant in Pomigliano d’Arco assembled the elegant 159. Intended as a BMW 3 Series rival, this Latin compact sedan never cut the mustard on the handling front, but it was so pretty it didn’t matter for the Alfisti.
The 159 wasn’t a driver’s car because of its humble underpinnings. Blatantly dubbed the Premium platform, the General Motors & Fiat-developed front / all-wheel drive architecture was outdated from the get-go. Only the Alfa Romeo 159, Sportwagon, Brera and Spider used it, which might ring a bell why General Motors never used it on any of its vehicles.
Nevertheless, approximately 240,000 units of the Alfa Romeo 159 were produced. With the exception of the 3.2-liter V6, the rest of the engine range was full of four-cylinder petrol and turbo diesel powerplants. Nothing to boast about here either, so was it reliable? Not really. It’s an Italian car with attitude and Italian cars were never an example for reliability.
Since its demise in 2011 and except for the 4C sportscar and Maserati-related 8C supercar, Alfa Romeo’s lineup was made up of only the MiTo and Giulietta, a couple of hatchbacks that aren’t too exciting at anything except for their flamboyant aesthetics.
That’s why the brand is in trouble and the reason why 8 all-new Alfa Romeos will be launched by 2018
Slated to take the form of a compact executive sedan that will replace the long-defunct 159, Automotive News claims the new model will be unveiled in June 2015, concomitantly with the reopening of the Alfa Romeo museum in Milan.
The 159’s replacement isn’t going to be called the Giulia like some people previously claimed. One thing is certain though - it will be underpinned by a new rear / all-wheel drive platform dubbed the Giorgio.
Nevertheless, approximately 240,000 units of the Alfa Romeo 159 were produced. With the exception of the 3.2-liter V6, the rest of the engine range was full of four-cylinder petrol and turbo diesel powerplants. Nothing to boast about here either, so was it reliable? Not really. It’s an Italian car with attitude and Italian cars were never an example for reliability.
Since its demise in 2011 and except for the 4C sportscar and Maserati-related 8C supercar, Alfa Romeo’s lineup was made up of only the MiTo and Giulietta, a couple of hatchbacks that aren’t too exciting at anything except for their flamboyant aesthetics.
That’s why the brand is in trouble and the reason why 8 all-new Alfa Romeos will be launched by 2018
Sergio Marchionne plans to hike global sales from 74,000 vehicles last year to 400,000 in 2018
According to information from sources close to Alfa Romeo, the company is currently working on 3 of those 8 new models, but a more recent report claims that the first of the crop will be launched next year.Slated to take the form of a compact executive sedan that will replace the long-defunct 159, Automotive News claims the new model will be unveiled in June 2015, concomitantly with the reopening of the Alfa Romeo museum in Milan.
The 159’s replacement isn’t going to be called the Giulia like some people previously claimed. One thing is certain though - it will be underpinned by a new rear / all-wheel drive platform dubbed the Giorgio.
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