Frankfurt show: Alfa confirms 4C for Oz

ALFA Romeo has confirmed its stunning 4C coupe will be produced for a global audience – including Australians – within three years.

The feisty new compact sportscar made another appearance in concept guise at this week’s Frankfurt motor show, where it wore ‘Fluid Metal’ silver paint instead of the bright red hue seen when it debuted at Geneva in March, as well as improvements to steering and suspension.

This time, however, Alfa CEO Harald Wester told media the all-new mid-engined coupe would go on sale in 2013 as part of the red-blooded Italian brand’s latest “global growth plan”, which calls for a near-five-fold sales lift to 500,000 sales by 2014.

Governing director of Australian Alfa Romeo importer Ateco Automotive Neville Creighton told Australian journalists at Frankfurt the 4C was expected in local showrooms by 2014.

Mr Wester added to the confirmation: “If Australia is still part of the world in 2013, so it should be on sale there.

“As I mentioned, Alfa Romeo is going to be present in all markets in the world. If there's enough interest in this kind of special-edition supercar it will be either left or right-hand drive, but there will definitely be a right-hand drive.”

GoAuto understand that despite its supercar looks, the two-seater 4C is expected to land at a similar price to the coupe it will belatedly replace here – the Brera, which is currently priced from $64,990.

The Brera coupe and Spider convertible are both currently in run-out, meaning the 100-year-old Italian brand will be without a two-door model until the spiritual successor for the mid-engined 8C Competizione arrives.

However, unlike the V8-powered 8C limited-edition, which was not produced in right-hand drive and therefore never sold Australia, the 4C will come with a 147kW-plus 1.75-litre turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder petrol engine behind the seats and ahead of the rear wheels, matched with Alfa’s TCT twin-clutch automatic transmission.

Combined with a confirmed a kerb weight of just 850kg, thanks extensive use of aluminium in its chassis and a carbon-fibre body, Alfa says the 4C will have a weight/power ratio of less than 4kg/hp – good enough to propel it to 100km/h in less than five seconds and beyond 250km/h.

The super-compact 4C, which measures only about four metres long and rides on a wheelbase of less than 2400mm, has a unique double-wishbone front and MacPherson-strut rear suspension layout, features 40/60 front/rear weight distribution and will come with Alfa’s ‘DNA’ system to control throttle response, steering and suspension settings.