The rollout of Alfa Romeo models into North America has hit a new speed bump.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has realigned its plans for Alfa Romeo that will see the addition of a full-size sedan, three crossovers, two “specialty” vehicles and a hatchback arriving past 2020.
With gas prices dropping and truck and SUV sales urging, FCA has made some alterations to its plans. We’ve already looked at some of those changes, with Chrysler killing off the 200 sedan and Dodge axing the Dart. While none of Alfa Romeo’s existing models – there’s only two – will be killed off, its future lineup is changing.
The Giulia sedan made its debut at the 2015 L.A. Auto Show last year, which is still slated to launch later this year. The four-door will be followed by a midsize crossover possibly in early 2017. From there, all the previously mentioned models were supposed to launch between 2014 and 2018, but considering we’re nearly halfway into the five-year plan and we’ve only seen two, Alfa Romeo is clearly behind schedule.
SEE ALSO: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Arrives in US Bearing 505 HP
The previous plan had another sedan and two compact models in the works, but FCA has decided against bringing those to market. The two compacts will be replaced by the single hatchback model. Although new models are being planned, FCA is cutting Alfa Romeo’s R&D, manufacturing and product-developing funding through 2018, attributing it to “uncertainties” in the Chinese market.
It is more than likely that Alfa Romeo’s fate in the U.S. will depend largely on how well the Giulia performs on the market. With the Quadrifoglio model boasting a twin-turbo V6 engine from Ferrari with 505 horsepower, we can’t wait to see if it drives as good as it looks.
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