Alfa Romeo and Maserati are in a bit of a mess. Product launches for both brands have been pushed back again and again for various technical challenges. FCA has decided to bring back a former employee to help straighten out this mess.
According to Automotive News, FCA has lured former Ferrari chief engineer Roberto Fedeli from BMW to become the chief technical officer for Alfa Romeo and Maserati. His new position will have him overseeing the r&d for the two brands. Fedeli spent 26 years at Ferrari in various roles before becoming the head of r&d for production cars in 2007. He is one the major players in the creation of the brand's hybrid supercar, the LaFerrari. Fedeli joined BMW back in 2014.
Fedeli has his work cut out in trying to get Alfa Romeo and Maserati back on track. Supplier sources tell Automotive News that the most recent delay for the Giuila was due to the model failing to pass internal front, side, and rear crash tests. This resulted in an additional six months in development time to re-engineer the vehicle.
A spokesperson from FCA told Road & Track the report is "not accurate or representative at all." The spokesperson went on to say that the Giulia is still on track to be launched in "late 2nd quarter 2016." We'll believe it when we see it.
Over at Maserati, the Levante SUV was supposed to debut last year but is now scheduled to go on sale this summer. This delay was due to Maserati scrapping the Grand Cherokee platform and going with the Quattroporte/Ghibli platform for their first SUV.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Road & Track
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