pumadog

Thanks for the link. The bit about Giorgio in that is pretty thin though. He focusses on the LP3 line and says there's no way back. The Giorgio line is still running for Giulia, Stelvio and Grecale though … If you have a big customer base you don't have to reach down to get new people on board. Alfa does not. Their base became pretty thin after years of mass market neglect. They need to grow for survival, they need accessible cars to keep at least the current size of the dealer network and street visibility. Here in Germany you can buy a Cupra in every bigger village and there's a fluid boundary from SEAT Ibiza and Arona.

I didn't say that Evo came in 2012 but that a new generation should have. They basically kept the same car for 13 (?) years with questionable facelifts plus stupid name changes and option dismantling. Then let it die after. No big infotainment, no powertrain revolution apart from the TwinAir flop. Was MultiAir beneficial in the real world? I'm not convinced. The Corsa E in 2014 got new metal all around plus much more, the Fiesta got a new generation in 2o17. Ah, do you remember that FIAT planned to give up A-segment only a couple of years ago? Planning always back and forth, burning trust on the way.

There are recent articles that they consider a Giorgio evolution again. Don't know how trustworthy. European STLA Large might be dead, but I'm not sure about North America. The current Junior is no super hit like the R5, but compared to the FIAT 600 (with much cheaper entry) it does extraordinary well. Also 30k sales compared to 60k peak sales of the Mito which started at half the price isn't bad — after many years neglecting the B and also C-hatch segment and further shrinking of the dealer network. And again, you can't expect to create a bestseller out of nothing, you have to build your customer base over many years. Fast growth like Leap Motor could only result from aggressive pricing, but they don't go that route. The majority of the few Alfas left on the street here in DE are Giuliettas with 60+ drivers in it. Alfas needs young customers and street visibility. They need inexpensive entry models for that. They need to reach their home market as a solid base. Therefore: Further invest in B segment, develop the next Junior with less visible parts sharing.

And why? Because Grande Punto got old in 2011. A new generation should have arrived in 2012 — not that ugly Punto Evo facelift. People don't need so much novelty effect but they buy cars that are up with the latest competition and they need continuous marketing to know about it. FIAT didn't loose one generation of Punto customers, they lost three. Grande Punto came out in 2005 and a hypothetical successor might come 2030 — 25 years later.

Well, not a direct successor, but somehow filling the same slot.

Just the rumor mill. Officials just said that the next hatch will be different. I'd think the Peugeot C-SUV will be sort of a 408 successor, as it will co-exist with the 3008.

As that article isn't based on a solid source either I hope it's still bullshit. Giving up their main seller and fresh-customer catcher after one generation would be another big mistake. Alfa needs continuity to build up trust and customer base. Next Junior would have customers to build on. If you can't figure out D-segment, at least stay in B and C. Two C cars can't be the whole range. Follow a longterm strategy finally! I also hope the C-hatch will arrive sooner than 2030 …

I think the situations of Chrysler and Lancia are very different. While Lancia is pretty superfluous in the broad European STLA brand portfolio, there's only Dodge and Chrysler for mass market cars in North America. FIAT sits in a tiny 500-style-only niche with few dealers. Dodge got moved into muscle car/power truck territory. So Chrysler with its huge dealer network can fill the whole bread-and-butter market without stepping on anyone's toes. It's a mystery to me why they didn't start this sooner.

According to Automotive News, Antonia Filosa announced at the Q3 results call that most of their European BEV will get LFP batteries in 2027.

Well, their source is an analyst company …

Do you think the 600 will get a real facelift? It wasn't labeled on the roadmap presentation in contrast to Avenger and Junior MCAs.

500e front is absolutely clean and timeless — apart from the "500" script/cutout, which I would have kept as "FIAT". The 600 looks messy in comparison.

FIAT should have given the 600 the cleaner, more upscale lights of the current 500. Maybe they synchronise the MCAs for 500 (with LFP battery) and 600 in 2027. Too bad they can't get rid of the eye lashes without new metal.

I like the spot. The statement is true for me.

I don't read that out of his words. I think he just wants to emphasize that the current Maseratis are not rebadged Alfas.