Alfa’s Future Looks Complex: Maserati Powertrain Tie-Up Looming, Rumors of VW Sale Won’t Go Away [2012 Paris Auto Show]

2015 Alfa Romeo Duetto (artist's rendering) Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne took the opportunity of the Paris show to reveal a joint powertrain agreement between Alfa Romeo and Maserati, according to an Autocar report. Full details of exactly how the two will intertwine their engine strategies will be announced in 60 to 90 days, according to the executive. The announcement comes a few months after the public declaration of a partnership between Alfa Romeo and Mazda to develop a rear-wheel drive Alfa Romeo Duetto—pictured in the artist's impression above—from the bones of the next MX-5 Miata. (Renderings and info on the Alfa here and here, and a deep look at the next Miata here.) It will be the second partnership between Alfa Romeo and a Japanese carmaker after a mid-1980s affair with Nissan that led to the Arna. That compact sedan combined unreliable Alfa technology with pedestrian Nissan styling. Speculation is running wild as to what this means for the Alfa-Maserati tie-up. Will Mazda technology (the i-ELOOP energy regeneration system comes to mind) find its way into Maseratis, as when the Chrysler TC by Maserati was offered with a Mitsubishi engine? Or will Alfa Romeos be equipped with the V-6 derived from Maserati and Ferrari's glorious V-8? The storied Alfa brand, whose last generation of V-6 engines was supplied by GM's Australian subsidiary Holden, surely deserves such an engine, although a version of Chrysler's Pentastar V-6 makes more sense for cost reasons in volume models. Comparison Tests: Porsche Panamera S vs. BMW 750i, Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S Official Photos and Info: 2013 Maserati GranTurismo MC Convertible First Drive: 2010 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Meanwhile, speculation on a sale of Alfa Romeo to the Volkswagen Group continues, fueled by the words of VW advisory board head Ferdinand Pieëh. At the VW Group Night presentation in Paris last week, he answered a question regarding an Alfa acquisition dryly, responding that "We have time." Meanwhile, Marchionne came unraveled at a speech in Turin: "Mr. Piëch drop it, go and sing somewhere else." The fun continues, let's just hope the Alfa Romeo brand survives without further damage. Read full story » from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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