4E's a jolly good Spider?
Alfa Romeo is reportedly working on a new electric convertible sports car to replace the unloved and now-defunct 4C.
The new model is expected to wear the 4E name in a nod to its predecessor, while a range of more than 500 miles is being mooted.
It’s thought that the new roadster will be roughly the same size as the next-generation Alpine A110 and Porsche Boxster models, both of which are also expected to go battery-electric.
No details have yet been reported, but Daniel Guzzafame, head of products at Alfa Romeo, told Autocar that the company was looking at when and how to introduce a convertible sports car, which the brand has historically referred to as “Spider” products.
The original Alfa Romeo Spider of the 1960s was followed by various open-top versions of other models, including the more recent GTV and Brera coupe models, while the 4C Spider arrived shortly after the mid-engined coupe version was launched in 2013.
1966 Alfa Romeo Spider
2018 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Italia
The 4C went out of production in 2019, leaving Alfa Romeo without a sports car until the 33 Stradale was revealed this summer.
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“There are some items from Alfa Romeo that we don’t kill: one is the Spider, the other is a love of cars,” he said. “We do want to continue them, because that’s the brand. And that’s in our ideas, so let’s see if we can make that a plan.
“Alfa Romeo is Spider, and when you think about Spider, you think about Alfa Romeo. At the moment, we’re stable enough and we do have the right basis. The main point is to make sure that when we do it, we are credible, are sustainable and don’t just throw something on the market for the sake of it.”
The new drop-top model, therefore, is expected to come as part of Alfa Romeo’s electrification strategy, which kicked off with the limited-edition 33 Stradale supercar.
From there, Alfa Romeo will launch a small electric SUV in 2024, before moving on to electric replacements for the Giulia and Stelvio models. Larger saloon and SUV models are also reportedly in the pipeline, although they are expected to be reserved for customers in China and America.
It’s thought that this new Spider model is some way away, though, because Guzzafame said the car will not be “within reach” until Alfa Romeo has five models in its portfolio. That places the car well behind the Giulia and Stelvio replacements in the brand’s long-term plans.
“It’s completely useless to do it now,” said Guzzafame. “We went to the dealers [years ago] and they had the 4C, Giulietta and Mito, and that was all they had. First you need to have a solid line-up and then, of course, the Spider has to be the cherry on the cake. If it is the cake, that’s a problem, because then you can’t be sustainable.”
When the new model does come, it’s expected to take styling cues from the 33 Stradale (above and below), which is designed with aerodynamics at heart, while the 4E is expected to share some mechanical components with the electric Giulia and Stelvio replacements. Whether it will get quite as big a battery, though, remains to be seen, as Alfa is thought to be prioritising lightness with its next-generation Spider.
Guzzafame hasn’t commented on the electric motor systems that will power the future model, but he has confirmed the car’s interior will be “driver-focused”, with the brand’s usual double-bubble instrument display, albeit in digital form, while a central infotainment screen will naturally feature.
In fact, it could even replicate the retractable touchscreen seen in the 33 Stradale somehow, with Alfa attempting to place the emphasis on removing distractions for the driver.
“[The retractable screen] is the extreme, but we’re working on concepts like that,” he said. “It will not be on the next car, because we need to cater to different users; the B-segment SUV is a family car, so you need to have certain stuff always there. But there will be an interpretation of what you see in this interior, for sure.”
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Keyword: Alfa Romeo plots electric sports car to succeed the 4C