Alfa Romeo 4C still coming to US, but later

Alfa Romeo 4C debut in the US pushed back from 2013 to 2014. Chrysler/Fiat offers no explanation for delay of the Alfa Romeo 4C. 

|
Sandro Campardo/AP/File
The new Alfa Romeo 4C is shown during the press day at the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, in March. The 4C represents Alfa Romeo's return to the US, but Chrysler/Fiat announced Tuesday that it's delaying the US introduction.

Yesterday, we learned that the 2014 Jeep Cherokee -- which was supposed to arrive in July -- has been delayed for a third time. Now, another vehicle in the Chrysler/Fiat family has had its debut pushed back: the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C.

The 4C marks Alfa Romeo's return to the U.S. When it was unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show in March, Sergio Marchionne said that he expected the 4C to arrive in America by the end of 2013. Fiat has stuck to that timeline, even confirming it at an event for the 500L earlier this month.

Unfortunately, it ain't happening. Fiat has announced that the 4C won't arrive in the U.S. until the second quarter of 2014 -- at the earliest.

Why the delay? No one knows.

No automaker wants to delay the launch of a new vehicle -- especially one as hotly anticipated as the 4C. To announce two such holdups in the span of just a few days? That's got to feel terrible.

But just as with the Jeep Cherokee, the 4C needs to be perfect. It's Alfa Romeo's flag in the sand, its beachhead in the U.S. Sure, it'll be produced in very limited numbers; in fact, many of us may never see one in the wild. But despite being such a rarity, everyone will hear about it, especially if the 4C is a shoddy piece of work. 

When the 4C does arrive -- all 1,000-or-so units allotted to the U.S. -- it'll be on display at Fiat dealerships. Chances are, many will be pre-sold, but if you've got $54,000 lying around, you might ring up your local showroom and put your name on the list.

For more on the Alfa Romeo 4C, visit MotorAuthority.com.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Alfa Romeo 4C still coming to US, but later
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2013/0926/Alfa-Romeo-4C-still-coming-to-US-but-later
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe