1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate Convertible 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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2019 Alfa Romeo Giulia gets Nero and Carbon editions

It feels like the Giulia was only recently introduced, but for 2019, the Alfa Romeo Giulia will get a number of updates. While the engine range remains unchanged – the base Giulia and the Giulia Ti continue with the 280-horsepower turbo four and the Quadrifoglio's engine remains the twin-turbo V6 with 505 horses – there are new packages and specifications for the 2019 model year. To begin with, the Giulia Ti Sport gets 19-inch wheels with a five-hole design as standard, and the Quadrifoglio gets a 40/20/40 folding rear seat as standard, with a third headrest. Heated rear seats are also available for all trim levels, and leather is standard. There are new paint colors for four-cylinder Giulias, consisting of two different greys. But the new packages are interesting, as there's now a "Shadowline" style Nero Edizione available for all Giulias. This clothes the Giulias with dark accents on the Scudetto grille, mirror caps, headlamp bezels, window trim, exhaust tips and wheels. For some model lines, brake calipers are available in red, black or yellow. In addition to Nero Edizione, another new package is the Carbon. It's only available for the Ti Sport and Quadrifoglio, and on the Ti Sport it lays everything full of carbon fiber from the grille to the side skirts, and adds a leather-wrapped dashboard. For the Quadrifoglio, the Carbon is an exterior package, which gives the car a carbon grille, mirror caps and badge. Related Video: Image Credit: FCA Alfa Romeo Luxury Performance Sedan alfa romeo giulia

Alfa Romeo Giulia, Stelvio Quadrifoglio NRING Editions come with scale models and jackets

Alfa Romeo's Quadrifoglio models, both the Giulia and Stelvio, have set some quick laps at the Nurburgring. The latter holds the SUV record, while the former was recently dethroned by the Jaguar XE Project 8. To celebrate, the company has created the NRING Edition for the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. In typical special edition tradition, it features a unique color, a matte, metallic gray, and a few other other basic upgrades, plus numbering for all 108 examples of each model. But the really special parts of these vehicles aren't actually part of the vehicles, but rather they're bonus accessories and experiences. Each car comes with a "welcome kit." It includes Sparco racing gloves, an Alfa Romeo jacket, cufflinks, shoes and a bag in which to carry everything. The last car we remember coming with its own jacket is the Mercury Marauder. On top of that, each car comes with its own 1:18 scale model. Once you've found a place for your model and are ready with your Alfa gear, you can head to Germany to participate a driving school course at the Nurburgring with your NRING Edition car. All of this makes a somewhat average special edition car something far more exciting, and as such we're not surprised it won't be available in America. All 216 cars will be sold in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. But hey, if you're a wealthy car enthusiast who has been looking at Alfas, one of these could be the way to go. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo Giulia, new SUV delayed

Damn it, Alfa Romeo. You had one job. One job. Just return to the North American market. That's it. And just when we thought that long-awaited event was actually in sight, thanks to the new, high-performance Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan, we're being forced to report what we've reported so, so many times before – Alfa's US return has (probably) been delayed. Citing supplier sources, Automotive News Europe reports that not only has the new Giulia's European launch been delayed six months, to mid 2016, but the Italian brand's first SUV also won't arrive until at least early 2017. That's six and nine months later than each vehicle was expected, respectively. US on-sale dates for both vehicles were slated for at least three to six months after hitting European dealers. If ANE's report is correct, this virtually guarantees we won't see the Giulia Quadrifoglio before autumn 2016/winter 2017, while the Giulia-based SUV's US arrival is effectively pushed back to spring or summer of 2017. The delay in the Giulia is being blamed on additional work on safety and ride characteristics, ANE's sources claimed. The Quadrifoglio was to be followed by four-cylinder variants in March, but this delay means the high-performance Giulia will be on its own until the end of 2016 in Europe, and early- to mid-2017 in the US. It's unclear if these issues are to blame for the delay in the SUV, although considering it's based in part on the Giulia, that seems like a reasonable assumption. Naturally, and we're guessing annoyingly for Fiat Chrysler executives, this latest delay is raising further questions about the company's long-term plan for its troubled Turin-based brand. ANE quoted multiple analysts who called out Sergio Marchionne's overly ambitious plans for Alfa, although Morningstar's Richard Hilgert said it best: "I would be impressed if the brand sold 200,000 [units per year]," Hilgert told ANE. "I think Marchionne set an overly-lofty target as a shock treatment to a patient in cardiac arrest. The idea being to get an immediate dramatic response, but his plan for 400,000 units in 2018 would have the patient immediately get up and run a five-kilometer race." Related Video: