Alfa Romeo's return to the U.S.

One of the most exciting things to me in the North American car market that will happen in the next 2 years is that Alfa Romeo coming back. These Italian cars have never been a match for the Germans dynamically, but they always make beautiful cars. The 159 will probably be the first one to come here and then followed by the Brera and Spider (coupe and roadster versions of the 159). The 159 as usual is a beautiful car in both sedan and sport wagon versions. They also have good engines now. There is a 2.2L-4 with 185hp, a 3.2L V6 with 250-260hp, and a 2.4L-4 turbo diesel with 200-210hp that I hope will come here. It can have all wheel drive and there is a new version of the Brera coupe tweaked by Prodrive. The new Alfa Romeo's are good to drive, but being front wheel drive still aren't as good as the BMW 3-series or Mercedes C-class. In Europe the 159 is priced well below the BMW and Mercedes competitors, meaning that these cars will make sense for value. They do have a car that I hope doesn't come here, the 147. The 147 is an old design that fails to do much well at all. It got a bad 3 star crash test rating from the EuroNCAP, it is overpriced and Alfa's owner Fiat has a great (looking and driving) small hatch called the Bravo that got a 5 star crash test rating and is available at a very good price. Alfa does have a replacement planned for the 147. Alfa Romeo is a company that I desperately want to be here soon, because I love their cars. There is even  a possibility of a rear drive Alfa, based either on a Jaguar platform that Fiat will get through Tata (the Indian company that bought Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford) or a new chassis they make themselves.