A Replacement Alfa Romeo 4C Is Probably Not Happening

From Road & Track

According to a report from the Autoline Network, the next generation of the Alfa Romeo 4C has been canceled due to underperforming sales. The 4C was Alfa Romeo's first car for sale in America in decades, and was the flagship sports car that was supposed to lead the brand to success in the states.

That hasn't worked out as planned, however, since the FCA Group seems to have decided not to invest in the little mid-engine sports car any further. We've heard rumors that its place in Alfa's lineup could be filled with a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car based on the Giulia platform.

An Alfa Romeo spokesperson has told us there has not been any official announcements regarding the Alfa Romeo 4C or 4C Spider product cycle.

The 4C was touted as a very driver-focused, purist approach to a fun car. With a carbon-fiber tub, mid-engine layout, and manual steering, the 4C was built with the driver in mind. It had stiff competition in the form of the Porsche Cayman, which offered similar (if not better) performance, with more comfort and drivability.

According to the Autoline Network, Alfa Romeo has only sold 309 examples of the 4C Spider so far this year. While that may seem like a reasonable number for a two-seat mid-engine sports convertible, Porsche has sold over 2600 Boxsters and Caymans in 2016, not counting June's sales.

While there might not be a replacement 4C, the current generation car will be around for a few more years. Production is scheduled to run until 2020 in Modena, so if you want one, you have until then to place your order.

Hopefully Alfa makes a gated manual transmission available for the final edition.

This piece was last updated on July 20th, 2016 at 2:00PM to reflect new information from Alfa Romeo