Alfa Romeo's crucial new BMW 3 Series rival has been revealed in Milan, with engine options including a new Ferrari-developed V6
The new Alfa Romeo Giulia has been revealed.
Aiming to become a credible rival for the likes of the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4 and Jaguar XE, the new Giulia will sit at the top of the Alfa Romeo range when it goes on sale in spring of next year.
Alfa Romeo has so far only confirmed one engine option - a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 with 503bhp developed by Ferrari. Powered by this engine, the new Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde is capable of reaching 62mph in 3.9 seconds.
The Italian brand claims the Giulia has a perfect 50/50 weight distribution, and features an “exclusive” suspension arrangement at the front.
Features include a Torque Vectoring system and an active splitter for managing downforce at high speeds.
Without giving away the car’s kerb weight, Alfa says the Giulia uses materials including carbon fibre, aluminium composites and plastic to obtain a power-to-weight ratio of 3kg/hp.
Alfa Romeo and Maserati boss Harald Wester has already given away some strong hints that show how Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles will re-invent the Alfa Romeo brand ahead of the car's launch.
Talking at a recent Maserati event in Italy, he described the established German premium cars as ‘mostly cold and clinical...these cars have no soul’ and suggested that the future Alfas would – like today’s Maserati models – be sold on character and charm rather than Teutonic efficiency.
Very little hard information about the new car has leaked out over the last three years, partly because the development team has been working in a stand-alone industrial facility near Modena, home to both Ferrari and Maserati factories.
However, Wester told Autocar that the first new model would be a ‘mid-size’ saloon. It’s thought that the car is known internally as the ‘Type 949’ and is expected to go on sale in spring 2016.
Autocar understands that the car will be rear-wheel drive and the structure substantially new, although it does share some elements with the Maserati Ghibli. All-wheel drive will be optional in many markets.
Despite the desire to set Alfa apart from German cars, it is thought that brand engineers have worked hard to give the new car dynamics that at least match the class leaders.
Wester also hinted strongly that future new Alfa models would not feature the latest semi-autonomous ‘self-driving’ technology, something that would not be in tune with the brand’s ‘soulful’ character.
In April this year, Fiat Chrysler also announced that it would invest 500m Euros in building two new engines for the revived Alfa brand at the Termoli facility in Italy.
The entry-level engine is described as an ‘advanced, high-output, four-cylinder engine developed for Alfa Romeo’. The motor is expected to be the next-generation replacement for the highly regarded 1750 TBi engine currently used in the Alfa 4C.
Today’s engine is noted for developing 235bhp from 1750cc and 260lb ft of torque from just 2100rpm. The next-generation engine could develop as much as 298bhp in its highest production tune.
The V6 engine is also described as ‘specially developed for Alfa Romeo’ and is thought to be the same base unit that will power the rumoured ‘New Dino’.
The new engine plant is expected to be turning out pre-production engines by September and the production capacity of 200,000 units suggests that Fiat Chrysler has ambitious plans for the new saloon.
Alfa has worked on the Giulia project for a number of years, with confirmation of the car's development first coming in 2009, with a mooted production date of 2011. That date was then moved to 2013 as then-boss of Alfa Romeo Sergio Marchionne was unhappy with the car's styling, as well as manufacturing issues.
It's understood that Alfa bosses dropped the idea for a luxury SUV in favour of the Giulia project - though that decision may change with Maserati's Levante SUV on the horizon.
New Giulia 'crucial' to Alfa Romeo relaunch
The Giulia will be the first new model to come from Alfa Romeo's latest relaunch, and, therefore, will be crucial in cementing the reputation of the famous but fading brand. Speaking at the Geneva motor show this year, Wester admitted that Alfa had "over promised and under-delivered" in the past.
A replacement for the old Alfa 159, the Giulia must come with all the qualities deemed to be important to Alfa Romeo vehicles. These are known to be beauty and character, designed to "put the driver at the centre, provide an exceptional driving experience while being inclusive and egalitarian, and display authentic heritage”.
Wester said: “These are not cars to be driven, but to drive. We want owners to feel that they’re an integral and indispensable part of the machine. The dynamic element is an important portion of what we do.”
The Giulia is currently being developed at a secret location, with only a few engineers tasked with bringing it to market. Once on sale, however, 600 people will be employed in the new skunkworks division. Alfa is aiming for annual sales of 400,000 units by 2018, a significant shift from the 74,000 units sold last year.
Wester is under no illusions about the challenge. “We’re living in a world of fierce competition,” he said. “What is absolutely clear is that every car must be significantly better than the target competitors.”
These are “the three German brands, plus Lexus in the US. But the worst strategy is to position against another product. It’s about finding out what the customers want.”
Alfa's rebirth - eight new or revised models on the way
The Giulia is set to arrive first in saloon form, with a Sportwagon version following soon after. It'll sit alongside current Alfa Romeo products including the Mito, Giulietta, 4C and 4C Spider. Key rivals for the Giulia in Europe include the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
However, the car will be joined by eight new or revised models by 2018 as Alfa seeks to restore credibility. Speaking to investors in Michigan last year, Wester said the revitalised Alfa Romeo would offer "best-in-class rear and all-wheel drive architecture for global products", echoing previous comments from Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne that Alfa will focus predominantly on rear-drive machines.
After the Giulia's launch, however, it appears the company will exit the sub-compact market that the Mito currently competes in. Instead, Alfa’s product plan for 2016 onwards allows for two cars in the compact segment, the Giulia, a full-size saloon, two SUVs and a new “speciality” offering in the vein of the Alfa Romeo 4C.
The product plan also allows for high-performance Cloverleaf-badged variants of the new models.
Proposals for an Alfa Romeo-badged SUV date back as far as 2003, when the Kamal concept car was revealed at the Geneva motor show.
Alfa’s future cars will choose from a pool of five engines, three petrols and two diesels. Two of the petrol-fuelled engines will be four cylinders, with the other being a six-pot, while four- and six-cylinder diesels will be offered.
The Italian company hasn’t revealed specific performance figures for each unit, although the six-cylinder petrol could produce around 500bhp in its most powerful state of tune.
In the presentation to investors, Alfa acknowledged that striking past models such as Brera, 159 and Spider had “missed the historical DNA of the brand”. This, it admitted, had enabled “our German competitors to build up a phenomenal lead over us over a number of years”.
The DNA, says Alfa, comprises “advanced, innovative engines, perfect 50/50 weight distribution, unique technical solutions, class exclusive power-to-weight ratios and groundbreaking and distinctly Italian design”.
The company says the Alfa Romeo 4C marks the start of a return to this process and is “the perfect embodiment of the brand’s DNA”.
Additional reporting by Mark Tisshaw, Richard Bremner and Darren Moss
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