New Car Alfa Romeo's technology

Second phase of Alfa Romeo’s re-entry into the American market touches down in the make/break sports category, most recently assaulted by Jaguar with the XE. A V-6 and rear-drive are Alfa’s primary weapons, though we expect a four-cylinder model, and Alfa, cognizant of Snowbelt sales, will also offer four-wheel drive. The company claims a 3.9-second zero-to-62-mph time for the hottest version, a 510-hp Quadrifoglio with a twin-turbo V-6. It’s a machine explicitly built to take the fight to the BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63, the segment’s perennial performance titans. While Alfa hasn’t announced an official weight, reading between the press-release lines suggests a target of 3300 pounds. Given the Italian tendency to use something akin to lunar gravity while weighing automobiles, we’d expect it to arrive between 3500 and 3600 pounds wet. The relatively svelte Cadillac ATS bulks up to 3800 pounds in its V guise, so the Alfa’s mass should still be competitive.