Alfa Romeo’s future master plan

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo’s thrilling new 4C sports car "marks a line in the sand" for the Italian firm, according to head of Alfa Romeo Europe, Louis-Carl Vignon. Speaking to MSN Cars at the launch of the 4C, the Alfa exec confirmed the marque’s future products will be inspired by its new halo model, meaning we’ll see more high-tech, efficient and performance-focused Alfa Romeo’s in the near future. On Bing: see pictures of the Alfa Romeo 4C Alfa Romeo 4C review A new off-roader will make up the heart of the Alfa Romeo range Vignon also outlined that further variants of the 4C are possible, potentially including an open-top spider version, as well as a higher-powered, more hardcore model.

Sergio Scaglietti: 1920-2011

One of the most iconic names in Italian coachbuilding has died. Sergio Scaglietti, famous for creating some of the most beautiful and valuable cars in the world, passed away earlier this week at the age of 91, in his home town of Modena, Italy. The name Scaglietti is synonymous with Ferrari, the moniker still being carried on the 612 flagship model, and it is a pairing that runs deeper than crossbranding and business.

Redesigned 2014 Lexus IS base price increases

Lexus has set the base price of the 2014 IS compact sport sedan at $36,845, including shipping, an increase of $885 from its predecessor, Lexus said. In contrast, the top-level IS 350 with all-wheel drive starts at $42,595, including shipping, which is 2.1 percent lower than the model it replaces, Lexus said in a statement this week. The pricing makes good on Lexus' guarantee to keep the base price attainable for consumers “by narrowing the gap between the 250 and 350,” a Lexus spokesman said.