More Tech Data on Alfa's 4C Sports Car

Fiat SpA's Alfa Romeo unit says its 2,400-lb 4C sports car focuses on light weight to deliver near-supercar performance from its 237-hp, 1.7-liter four-cylinder engine.

The $77,000 car, which is debuting this summer in Europe, is expected to reach the American market next year.

Reinforced plastic abounds in the little two-seater, beginning with a carbon-fiber-reinforced structural tub that weighs only 65 kg (143 lbs). The thin-wall sheet-molding compound body panels weigh about 77 kg (170 lbs). The car also features extra-thin window glass.

Alfa reports that the tubs, which will be supplied by Adler Plastics SpA, in Modena, Italy, can be produced at a rate of 16 per day. The carmaker says each car will be assembled by teams at nine stations at a rate of about 25 hours per car.

Aluminum which is used in the subframe, suspension, engine block and transmission housing accounts for 418 kg (922 lbs) of the coupe's weight. The car's weight-to-power ratio is below 4 kg (8.8 lbs) per horsepower, giving the 4C a zero-to-100 kph acceleration time of 5.0 seconds, according to the company.

The car's suspension consists of steel wishbones in front and aluminum struts in the rear. The front suspension is bolted directly to the carbon-fiber-reinforced tub.

Alfa says the relatively simple 4C has no power steering, a manually operated HVAC system and fewer than 10 electronic control modules. The 4C consists of only 864 parts, most of which will be shipped from elsewhere for final assembly in Modena.