Alfa Romeo 4C and Mazda Deal - The next "Twins"
 

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/alfa...-end-1B8035618



Most of those products will be assembled in Italy but the maker now plans to produce a small, rear-drive sports car in Japan. It will be the result of a joint development effort with Mazda, and it will be produced at one of that maker’s Japanese plants.

The project is similar to one that teamed up Toyota and Subaru, the former maker marketing the sports coupe in the U.S. as the Scion FR-S, Subaru bringing its version here under the BR-Z nameplate. As part of the new joint venture the Mazda sports car will replace the aging Miata. There’s no word on what Alfa will call its model.

Oh look another article saying Alfa Romeo to ship cars to the U.S. in a year...ive been seeing those for 5 years!

wat? I was sure that the Fiat group is doing a new contract with Mazda to develop a new chassis that the Miata and the Alfa Romeo Spider will share. They will not be sharing the same power and drivetrain from what i understood, because of this the R&D funding actually overlaps with rx9 development, which is suppose to be based on the Miata..much different than how current MX-5 is based off the rx8 chassis. At least that what Mazda chief designer Ikudo Maeda expressed. Wasn't aware that their plans didn't make it official on paper based on earlier interviews.

I'm getting excited for all these new sporty cars.

Eh.. 45 thousand Euros. 200hp.

This is supposed to replace the MX5? Not at 60k US, it isnt.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZHDd7iKEJI"]Alfa Romeo 4C @ Frankfurt Motor Show 2011 - YouTube[/ame]

45k Euro? I think this car just immediately dropped off my list of cars to follow.

Italian styling with Japanese reliability/engineering. I could get behind that.

It's like of like meeting that really really hot girl and find out she's totally into guys... just..like..you.

Don't confuse the mx5 replacement and new alfa roadster with the 4c. The 4c is in a different market segment going up against the caymans, elises etc...

In regards to the 4c, 200hp for 60k makes sense when it weighs 2000lbs and looks like THAT. The cheaper roadsters will have a more conventional design and weigh more.

Alfa Romeo Duetto and Alfa Romeo 4C are not the same cars:

Duetto

• Body: 2 seater, spider (roadster)
• Chassis: MX-5 chassis
• Layout: longitunally mounted mid-front engine, RWD
• Engine: Turbocharged 1.4l I4, 170 PS
• Weight: ~ 1100 kg
• Price: ~ 35.000 €

4C

• Body: 2 seater, coupé
• Chassis: CF chassis
• Layout: transversely mounted mid-rear engine, RWD
• Engine: Turbocharged 1.8l I4, 235 PS
• Weight: ~ 900 kg
• Price: ~ 50.000 €

I'm getting excited for the prospect of a new Mazda sports car. I'm a Mazda fanboi at heart. >_>

:thumbup: :popcorn: :clap:

I'm a Skyactiv-D fanboi at heart. The day a Turbo Diesel Mazda 6 or CX-5 hits a showroom floor my FRS is up for sale.

It's just so damn hard to say no to 40mpg's and boat loads of torque for a daily driver.

I was tempted by the Skyactiv 3 when I was shopping. But the deal I got on my FR-S because my dad works at Toyota was too good to pass up. Hopefully by the time this partnership comes through in production I'll have a better job and more money. I love my FR-S, but I've got to say this prospect is tempting.