Alfa Romeo Spider May Shun MX-5 Underpinnings For All-Italian Architecture

Recent reports suggest that Alfa Romeo's upcoming Spider sports car may not be based on the new Mazda MX-5's underpinnings after all. 

And it's allegedly thanks to Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne's plan that all new Alfa Romeos be built in Italy. 

Under the platform-sharing agreement struck between Mazda and Alfa Romeo, the new Spider was to be built in Japan by Mazda on the same production line as the MX-5.

However, with Machionne's new made-in-Italy policy for the Alfa Romeo brand, such an arrangement won't work. 

Instead, a report from German outlet Autobild suggests that Alfa Romeo will make the new Spider a completely in-house development, and build it on a downsized version of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia's rear-drive platform.

Where does that leave Mazda? Pundits say that the development work already done on the Alfa-flavoured version of the MX-5 won't be for naught, but that the car will wind up being sold as an Abarth or a Fiat.

The Mazda-built Alfa Spider was originally planned to go on sale in the latter half of 2015, with unique styling and an engine sourced from Fiat-Chrysler's inventory. 

But if the reports are right, we can expect Alfa's new all-Italian roadster to make its first appearance sometime in 2016.