Oh, No! Alfa Romeo Giulia Launch Delayed By Six Months, Report Says

In a move that probably shouldn’t surprise anyone who has followed Alfa Romeo over the last number of years, the brand is delaying the sales launches of its flagship Giulia sedan as well as a planned new SUV. Additionally, it is claimed that the company’s very first SUV will arrive nine months later than expected, sometime in early 2017.

Alfa Romeo declined to comment on whether the launches of the Giulia Quadrifoglio and the SUV have been delayed. He added that the revised sequence will likely be announced in January.

However, he wanted to reaffirm the 5 billion euros investment to help increase Alfa’s sales by launching eight new models.

Alpha Romeo’s comeback plans are in for a bit of jolt given the relatively weak market conditions in China.

The AutoNews report suggests that these sales targets are overly optimistic, and that Marchionne is doing his best to manage expectations of the Alfa revival. The Giulia sedan was supposed to be launched in Europe at the end of this year, but is instead set to launch in the middle of next year. German rivals, however, are not anxious.

“Who is Alfa Romeo?” Audi CEO Rupert Stadler joked at the Frankfurt auto show in September. We believe that if the carmaker is able to competitively price the Giulia, there is no doubt that the vehicle can achieve its target. For Stadler, that landscape includes only Mercedes and BMW.

“Fiat has promised numerous re-launches for Alfa Romeo in the Marchionne era”. Also, it is said to come with a bold styling which will attract many attention. “I would be impressed if the brand sold 200,000”, he said.