the end of Alfa Romeo 4C it was predicted since Sergio Marchionne's June 2018 conference, when he unveiled plans for the scudetto brand for years to come — nothing was mentioned about the future of the 4C.
All that was needed was to point out a date on the calendar, and if last year we saw the 4C leave the North American market, now is the end, with production ending this year.
For those still interested in the Italian sports car, there are new units in stock, so it should be possible to purchase a “brand new” Alfa Romeo 4C in the coming months.
It's the end of the rolling manifesto originally surfaced in concept form in 2011 and introduced to the market in 2013 with the addition of the Spider in 2015.
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It stood out for its exotic construction, a central carbon fiber cell and aluminum sub-structures that guaranteed it a light weight (895 kg dry). As a result, there was no need for a huge engine (1.75 l) or an excessive number of horsepower (240 hp) for sports performance (4.5s from 0 to 100 km/h and over 250 km/h).
Goodbye, sporting… and Giulietta
The announcement of the end of production for the Alfa Romeo 4C comes shortly after Mike Manley, FCA's current CEO, presented new plans for the future of the brand, and the news is not good for those hoping to see more sports from the Italian brand. .
This is because, the sports cars announced by Marchionne almost 18 months ago for Alfa Romeo, that is, the GTV (Giulia based coupe) and a new 8C (hybrid super sports car) have fallen to the ground.
Alfa Romeo GTV with Giulia base
The reasons behind this decision are linked, above all, to the poor commercial performance of the Italian brand, where the Giulia and Stelvio have not brought the numbers expected by Alfa Romeo officials.
The watchword now is to rationalize , which implies a focus on models with superior sales/profitability potential, while reducing investment capital.
In the new plan, 2020 promises to be a dry year for the brand, but in 2021 we will see the renewed Giulia and Stelvio and also the production version of the Tonale, the future C-SUV from Alfa Romeo. The arrival of the Tonale could also mean the end of the Giulietta, another model absent from the plans presented by Manley.
The big news in this new plan is the introduction of… another SUV. In 2022, if everything goes as planned — at FCA, it's not usually the rule, just look at the number of plans presented since 2014 — we will see a new B-SUV, positioned below the Tonale, taking the place of access model to the range , formerly occupied by MiTo.
And the FCA-PSA merger?
As with the announcement that Fiat is considering exiting the urban segment and focusing on the above segment, news about Alfa Romeo's future came on the same day that the merger between FCA and PSA was confirmed.
In other words, this means that, with advancing negotiations and outlining future strategies for the fifteen and a half car brands that will become part of this new car group, the plans now presented by Manley may change in the medium term.
If plans go forward unchanged, in 2022 we will have an “unrecognizable” Alfa Romeo, with the range comprising three SUVs and a saloon.