Alfa Romeo 4C will Arrive in the U.S. by the End of 2013, Says Marchionne

We won’t blame you for being dubious about Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne’s latest reference to Alfa Romeo’s return to the United States, but fact is, the Italian-Canadian executive told reporters after an InForum breakfast on Friday morning that the Alfa Romeo 4C should land in the country before the end of 2013.

“We’re finalizing the car now, so it should be here by the end of the year,” said Marchionne, according to a report from the Detroit News. “It’s ready in the sense of all the work with architecture and types of models.”

The mid-engine 4C was introduced as a near-production concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and was recently spotted testing in Michigan. Alfa hinted at the presentation of the final production model at the end of last year, likely pointing towards the Geneva Motor Show in March for the big reveal.

We expect the 4C to be offered with Alfa’s 1.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine coupled to a dual-clutch transmission driving the rear wheels.

In related news, Marchionne was also asked by journalists about the group’s agreement with Mazda to co-develop the next generation of the Alfa Romeo Spider and Mazda MX-5, with both cars to be made in Japan.

“I think it’s going to create a lot of support for Alfa coming back to the United States,” said Marchionne. “It’s ready in the sense that a lot of work has gone on with choice architectures and models. We need to make sure we get the powertrains.”

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