Remember how Ferrari kept saying it wasn't making a cheaper model despite the plethora of spy shots indicating otherwise? Well technically they were right: the California, as it turned out to be, is no cheaper than an F430. Ferrari's sister company Alfa Romeo seems to be going the same route. Although earlier reports had suggested that the upcoming 149, as it's being tentatively called, would share its platform with the Fiat Bravo, Alfa insisted the new car, pictured above in a rendering from Progetto 940, would get its own distinct platform. The truth, it seems, lies somewhere in the middle. Although the basic architecture will be based on what underpins the Fiat Bravo and Lancia Delta, Alfa's platform will be heavily modified to the point of bearing little resemblance to its corporate cousins. Dubbed "C-Evo", the newish Alfa Romeo platform will be more performance-oriented than the Fiat one on which it's based, and will underpin the five-door hatchback slated to replace the 147, as well as the future successor to the 159. The next Brera and Spider could also borrow off that (unfortunately front-drive) platform, along with an anticipated upcoming crossover.
After having being introduced way back in 1998, Alfa Romeo finally stopped production of the 166 last year. Now without a flagship sedan to hold up the top of the range, Alfa is working on the development of its successor. However, the 169 (as the model is expected to be called) has been pushed back at least another three years while the automaker tries to sort out which platform it will be based on.
With an eye towards the American market, Alfa is said to be committed to making the new 169 a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, but the only rear-drive platform the Milanese automaker has in its range belongs to the 8C Competizione, which CEO Luca de Meo recently rejected as a possible donor for the 169. (Rats.) The platform that underpins sister-company Maserati's Quattroporte and GranTurismo was likewise dismissed as too costly, as Alfa Romeo looks to other automakers – chief among them Jaguar, now owned by the Fiat Group's Indian ally Tata – for a suitable rear-drive platform for Alfa's new flagship sedan.
In related news from the other end of the range, the upcoming 149, which – along with the new MiTo – will replace the aging 147, is reportedly getting a brand new platform of its own. The reports contradict earlier suggestions that the five-door hatch would be based on the Fiat Bravo platform when the new 149 is introduced in 2009.
