I want that car!

Well, go on then. In the 30 hours since you posted they'll have lost enough value to be a £500 buy from AutoTrader.

;-)

Looks like a bloody 3-series / Jag XE.

As a long-term Alfisti, I'll pass. It's just not quirky enough or different enough anymore.

Whilst I do drive a modern BMW, I still have my old Alfa 75 - German company cars will come and go, but the Alfa seems to be a permanent part of my life now.

But they don't look anything like each other...?

There's a lot of accusations you can level, but I don't think that's one.

First RWD Alfa saloon since the 75. Dedicated Alfa-developed platform.

It's the first actually potentially interesting Alfa for a while.

I must admit that I didn't look one up before I posted my comment but this image does show Steve's point quite well.

Looks like an Audi A4 from the back. Bit unimaginative of them, but I suppose that's where the market is. Relying on "heritage" never did the X-Type any good.

I concur. In these days of FWD & endless shared platforms it's nice to see something original - even if you can't see it! Be nice if the quality's there too.

Wonder if the rotor arm is still glued in the distributor.

How about this, too:

The 156 was such a pretty car - it may have been FWD and based on a Fiat platform, but it drove incredibly well (one of the best FWD saloons of all time) and still looks amazing today.

Shame the Giulia doesn't carry on some of the design cues from the 156 and 159.

Suppose wind tunnels and 'customer focus groups' drive design these days, though.

It isn't original, though - it's following the Germanic 'junior executive' formula. Long nose, swept back cabin and stubby tail.

Swap the grille from one onto another and you'd struggle to identify what it was.

And RWD isn't the be all and end all - 184bhp in a compact RWD platform should make an excellent driver's car - but my current BMW is proof otherwise. Unless you absolutely boot it, you'll struggle to identify which end of the car is driven.

Cnut.

Sorry, not making myself clear. I didn't mean the design was original, I was agreeing with Adrian's point that it's nice to see someone originating their own platform.

Sadly all too much of that all over. But Joe Soap doesn't care as much for deviation from the norm as he says he does. Otherwise there'd be more Avantimes and S-Types on the road and Citroen would currently be producing this:

Only original in that it's the first of a multitude of cars likely to be spun-off from the platform, though!

Chrysler desperately need a new RWD platform to replace the 300C and Giulia sized 200. Guess where they'll be finding that!

It's also vaguely derived from the Maserati Ghibli.

Just think that people are getting a bit excited by the concept of the RWD Alfa. I hope it delivers, but it's not for me.

Now that I could want!

Yeah, it is clearly aimed at BMW M3. But with italian flair they have smoothed the germanic crease lines on the M3. Just the design that BMW would have wanted for their next model. So question is, what will BMW do now?

What they've been planning to do - a 3/4 scale 5 series.

Within the 'class' - the best looking cars are the A5 (which is now ancient under the skin - being based on the outgoing A4) and the

4-series Gran Coupe - ie. swoopy 5 door hatch version of the 3.

The look of the A5 is not my cuppa, I always though audi as bland looking, though efficient and nice cars. But like: "What can we do with

3 almost identical body sections (or 2)". The 'pontoon' concept for car design.

New Saab 9-5, now there's something with sleek design. Unfortunately no longer made. Unfortunately using Vauxhall mechanicals.

Yes, it was a great looking car. I'd have loved a new generation 9-5. In fact, if I wasn't having company cars, I'd have bought a 1st generation

9-5 over the Alfa 159.

But the platform was never used by Vauxhall - in fact, I belive it was only used for North American cars.

About germanic crease lines: I remember when the new Citroen C5 came out, I saw a cinema advertising where Citroen played on that people thought C5 was a german car, i.e. stealing from the reputation of solid german cars, i.e "Our C5 is just as good...". Hence C5 new crease lines. hehe.

The short-lived second-generation 9-5? No, it was on the Epsilon II platform, same as the Insignia.

The original 9-5 used the GM2900, which started under the 1988 Mk3 Cavalier.