Alfa Romeo, Alfa Romeo. Where art thou Alfa Romeo? Looks like the Italian brand is going to take a little longer to return to the U.S.

Fiat's sporty Alfa Romeo brand will be reintroduced to the U.S. starting in 2013, not 2012 as planned, the brand's top executive, Harald Wester, told analysts in Frankfurt today.

That's bad news for the 100 or so U.S. Fiat dealers who signed up to take that brand because they were promised models from Fiat's Alfa and possibly Lancia brands to fill their showrooms. U.S. Fiat dealers currently have only the Fiat 500 mini-car to sell.

"The icing on the cake for us as retailers is the Alfa Romeo franchise," is how Fiat dealer Carl Galeana puts it. He operates Fiat of Lakeside, in Macomb, Mich., north of Detroit. Many Americans still are nostalgic for the Alfa Romeo, the car that Dustin Hoffman's character drives in the classic film, The Graduate.

Economic uncertainty in Europe is prompting Fiat executives to review what products to launch where and when.

Alfa said the 4C, a two-seater, still is planned as the first U.S.-market Alfa Romeo.

Unclear from the Frankfurt presentation:

The fate of a U.S.-market Giulietta, a compact that's considered roomy, stylish and powerful in Europe. A car based on the Giulietta is expected to be built in the U.S. by Fiat-controlled Chrysler Group and sold as a Dodge.

A Chrysler business plan publicized in November 2009 showed a Fiat-based Dodge compact, apparently derived from Giulietta, in 2012. A Fiat plan from April 2010 shows the Giulietta going into the North American market as an Alfa Romeo model in 2014, the same year the car gets significant changes.

Giulietta is key because it fits the size and price category where Chrysler's Dodge brand lacks a credible entry, and because the car, as an Alfa product, would fit a slot attractive to American buyers -- premium, sporty, Euro compact with exceptional fuel economy.

A Euro-market model called Giulietta Veloce uses a 1.4-liter, four-cylinder, "MutliAir" gas engine similar to what's in the Fiat 500, but turbocharged to produce 170 horsepower and 180 pounds-feet of torque. It hasn't been tested by the U.S. government, but on the European test cycle is rated 36 mpg in "urban" conditions, 61 mpg in "extra-urban" driving and 49 mpg in combined use, according to data from Honeywell, which makes the vehicle's turbocharger.

Even if the U.S. test procedures knocked down the ratings by a hefty one-third, the car still would be rated about 33 mpg in combined city/highway use, good enough to top all non-hybrid small cars, according to the government's fuel-economy ratings list.