Resurgent Italian carmaker Alfa Romeo may soon have to cull their critically-acclaimed 4C coupe as type approval requirements and restrictions may render the car unable to sell in selected markets worldwide. Since its reveal some 5-years ago, the 4C has garnered strong reviews the world over thanks to its evocative styling, incredible agility, and lightweight construction. It has since gained a Spider variant that could see sunnier skies ahead, though that too isn’t a certainty.
The 4C Spider may be spared the axe though, as it seems the main issue with type approval for the 4C pertains to its carbon-fibre monocoque construction. This was revealed by FCA boss Sergio Marchionne to UK publication Autocar, when they asked him specifically about the future of the venerable sports car.
“The 4C has some technical limitations in terms of type approval outside the US and Europe, so it has a limited future, as it will no longer be possible to register it and have it approved. For structural reasons, because of the monocoque.” — Sergio Marchionne, Chief Executive Officer, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles
Should the 4C Coupe be culled, it would leave Alfa Romeo without a sports car in its lineup until 2022, when the company is expected to roll-out a brand-new GTV. However, the engineering boss for Alfa Romeo revealed last year that the 4C would get revised suspension and steering setups to improve the 4C’s on-road manners with an update later this year, while a new engine might not be out of the question.
With the latest revelation, we can only imagine that those updates are due for the 4C Spider and not the coupe, with the open-top sports car enjoying healthy sales globally, even if it is lagging behind competitors like the Audi TT.
A sports-car-less range is not something that Alfa wants to have for too long though. As we mentioned earlier, a GTV is expected to arrive in 2022 replete with a hot Quadrifoglio variant as well as less-potent versions, and the Alfa Romeo 8C will also be renewed and take the form of a 520kW (or more) hybrid all-wheel drive supercar capable of a century sprint below 3-seconds.
Shall we all say a quick prayer for the 4C, then?
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