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"Cars born merely as styling exercises rarely ever make it past the motor show stage. But, if we are to believe Alfa Romeo&amp;#039;s top execs, the stunning 4C Concept seen at the Geneva show in March might just turn into one of those rare exceptions. We met with Lorenzo Ramaciotti, the current design director for the Fiat Group, to find out whether the 4C really is a sign of things to come for Alfa.   Formerly the head of Pininfarina&amp;#039;s design activities, Ramaciotti has helped reshape Alfa Romeo&amp;#039;s products since 2007 and believes the 4C is the next logical step in the brand&amp;#039;s rebirth.   &amp;quot;The 4C was born as a side project, not something planned for the long term and definitely not in the mainstream of our product plan,&amp;quot; he explains. &amp;quot;It was a way of thinking forward between design and engineering. Designers certainly, but also engineers need to have time to think out of the box, a way of relieving themselves from everyday assignments and getting a breath of fresh air.&amp;quot;           The project started with the chassis, and a scale model was presented to the project committee in late November. Management liked what it saw and asked for a concept car for the Geneva Motor Show. &amp;quot;So we had just three months to move from the scale model to the real thing, and we didn&amp;#039;t even have anything defined for the interior,&amp;quot; Ramaciotti recalls. &amp;quot;It presented us with a big challenge, but since we had not shown any concept car since 2003 with the 8C Competizione, it was a task that we immediately accepted.&amp;quot;   He stresses that since the concept was developed in concert with engineering, the shape is close to what we&amp;#039;ll see in production. &amp;quot;We need not make major changes to it,&amp;quot; he says, adding that, &amp;quot;it&amp;#039;s just a matter of shut-lines and details. Although the 4C incorporates some typical `show car&amp;#039; features such as the front and rear lamps, and elements of the interior, the concept is actually very close to what we want to bring to the market.&amp;quot;   In explaining the approach to the car, Ramaciotti said he wanted to keep the look simple. &amp;quot;At Alfa Romeo, we like shapes that are more refined. In terms of size and proportions, despite the short wheelbase (93.7 in.) we didn&amp;#039;t want a car that looked too slim, but muscular and with a presence, so we kept it fairly wide. If you compare it to an Elise, the Lotus is much skinnier. Ours conveys more of a feeling of solidity.&amp;quot;   Compared to the taut lines of the exterior, the cabin is much more flamboyant. &amp;quot;A lot of work has been done to bring it to a high level of detail,&amp;quot; Ramaciotti points out. &amp;quot;The idea was to have a very driver-oriented feel, whereas the passenger is treated almost like an option. The road version will feature motorcycle-type instruments as seen here. We want to feature a very light dashboard, and we are discussing whether to have a center console at all. In general terms, the production model will have a very light and simple interior.&amp;quot;           The goal is to produce a car with a curb weight of about 1875 lb. &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t know if we&amp;#039;ll meet this target, but we will not allow ourselves to wander far from that. Hence we have to carefully weigh every element that we will put into the car,&amp;quot; Ramaciotti says.   In engineering the concept, Alfa Romeo worked closely with Dallara (supplier of IndyCar chassis) to develop the 4C&amp;#039;s carbon-fiber tub, which Ramaciotti says can be quickly and relatively inexpensively built. The suspension will use standard A-arms rather than pushrods. These components are attached directly to the tub in the front and an aluminum subframe in the rear.   Given the very short time frame, Alfa Romeo elected not to make the 4C a fully running concept, but the car is fitted with an actual engine and all functioning elements. Its 1750-cc TBi unit is known to deliver 235 bhp in its most advanced production version to date, although Alfa Romeo is stating a conservative 200-bhp target. Less conservative is the 4C&amp;#039;s TCT twin-clutch transmission. The plan is to bring the car to the market in the second half of 2012, and Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester promised at Geneva a return to the U.S. market by 2013 with this car as part of the lineup.   Ramaciotti echoed that promise by saying: &amp;quot;The vehicles we are developing today are developed from the outset with an American version already planned contemporaneously. It&amp;#039;s important to consider how the project fits into Alfa Romeo&amp;#039;s brand development. The 8C was the flagship of the 2000s; this one is the flagship for the 2010s.&amp;quot;           While the 8C was developed primarily as a halo car for Alfa Romeo, the 4C has a different mission. &amp;quot;It carries a message that says we do not want to lose our roots, we want to honor our sporting heritage,&amp;quot; Ramaciotti explains. The big, powerful 8C was a $227,000 car built in limited numbers. The 4C is lightweight, tidy and not as expensive for the performance it will deliver. &amp;quot;Smaller cubic capacity, higher engine technology, downsizing, weight saving and all those elements reflect the time we are living through today,&amp;quot; Ramaciotti notes, and stresses that, &amp;quot;the 4C will not be a limited series vehicle. We expect it to have a fairly long production run of perhaps 10,000 or 15,000 units over the life cycle of the vehicle, somewhere around 1500 cars per year. We hope to replicate the success of the Elise, which was an instant classic. We hope it will be fresh enough when it comes out that it can remain a reference for many years.&amp;quot;   The product plan from Fiat Group&amp;#039;s CEO Sergio Marchionne is in fact very aggressive, with high expectations regarding the increase in sales of Alfa Romeo for the near future. If Alfa is to meet the extremely ambitious sales targets set for the next five to 10 years, the brand will need models that will sell in much bigger volumes than the 4C. Still, this small mid-engine coupe will play an important role in making the brand sexy once again. With a price point between $55,000\u2013$65,000 and only 1500 produced annually, perhaps this will leave plenty of room for a more traditional front-engine rear-drive spider to sell alongside it, as well as the proposed SUV and midsize sedans planned on platforms shared with Chrysler group brands.   In Ramaciotti&amp;#039;s estimation, the 4C represents both &amp;quot;a breath of fresh air and a declaration of intent filled with hope and promise.&amp;quot; Indeed, it might just be the right type of exciting, performance product that Alfa Romeo enthusiasts have long hoped would return to these shores. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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