Hamburg- The Italian car maker Alfa Romeo is planning to build most of its cars with engines fitted to the rear to give the marque a sportier image and better road holding qualities, the German Auto Bild newspaper reports. All cars above the Alfa 147 would be fitted with rear engines with the technology coming from the United States on the basis of the Sigma concept used in the Cadillac CTS and STS, the report said.
An Alfa spokesman refused to comment on the report.
Models affected by the change are the Alfa Spider, Alfa Brera, Alfa 159 and the new Alfa 169 that replaces from 2010 the Alfa 166, Auto Bild said.
Alfa Romeo is a subsidiary of the Fiat concern. Auto Bild also reports that the exclusive Maserati sports car maker, also owned by Fiat, was also considering the Cadillac rear-engine technology for a 2 + 2 seater coupe, a convertible and a small sedan.
