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US-spec 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia details revealed

Maurice the Bowler from The Simpsons said, "Better than the act, better than the memory, is the anticipation!" He wasn't talking about the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, but he could have been. Recently delayed another six months by parent company Fiat, we're going to do a whole lot more anticipating since the sedan might not make it here until the actual 2017 calendar year. That's a shame to think about because the top-of-the-Giulia line is a thing of beauty, so we'll enjoy it at the LA Auto Show while we have it. Built on the new Giorgio architecture developed in conjunction with Ferrari, its standard elements are a 2.9-liter, twin-turbo V6 with 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. That power number is the largest Alfa Romeo has ever let loose from a production car factory, and that torque is available from 2,500 to 5,000 rpm. The fireworks are sent to the rear wheels through a short throw six-speed manual transmission and carbon fiber driveshaft, and 19-inch wheels can convert those explosions into a 3.8-second run from 0-60 miles per hour and a top speed of 191 mph. The Giulia Quadrifoglio gets its grunt massaged by tech like an active front splitter controlled by two electronic actuators, a carbon fiber rear spoiler, torque-vectoring limited-slip differential, and adaptive damping. Brembo four-pot calipers all around hugging iron rotors come stock, you'll find carbon ceramics on the options list providing six-piston Brembos in front and four-piston Brembos in back. The carbon fiber hood and roof, and extensive aluminum bits like the doors and fenders go easy on the scales and help provide a "near 50/50 weight distribution." Cylinder deactivation will help you go easy on the gas, if not the throttle. After the top-dog Giulia gets here its less powerful minions will follow, all of them motivated by a 276-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. All-wheel-drives comes after launch, too. Interior options will be lengthy and detailed, with a mix of materials, colors, and stitching. For the hardest of the hardcore, Sparco racing seats can be had for the Quadrifoglio. You can read about all of this and much more in the press release below, here's the number you'll want to know now: "around $70,000," the US MSRP we're now being warned about. Because beauty is not cheap, especially when it's quick.

Alfa Romeo planning a four-cylinder, 350-hp Giulia Veloce?

At the moment, Alfa Romeo sells a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder Giulia with 280 horsepower for $37,995, and a 2.9-liter, twin-turbo six-cylinder Giulia Quadrifoglio with 505 hp for $72,000. A vacuum separates those poles, and the marketplace, echoing nature, hates it. Some recent Internet sleuthing in The Netherlands and in the U.S. might have identified a suitable object to fill that void: a 350-hp version of the 2.0-liter turbo. Last December, Dutch shop Squadra Tuning discovered an entry on Fiat Chrysler's Dutch-market parts site for a 2.0-liter turbo Giulia producing 350 metric horsepower (345 U.S. ponies). Not long after that, an Autoevolution reader submitted an image of an FCA document for the NAFTA region, which listed a 2.0-liter, 350-hp model for the USA equipped with the eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. The name of the model powered by that engine: "Giulia Veloce." Certain international markets already offer a Veloce trim with an auto transmission and all-wheel drive, but engine choices are the 280-hp 2.0-liter we already get, and a 2.2-liter turbodiesel we don't get. If those overseas discoveries were merely smoke, conjecture took a huge step toward fire a few days ago when Bozi Tatarevic found a 2.0-liter, 350-hp engine option on Mopar Tech Authority, FCA's OEM service portal. Car and Driver asked Alfa Romeo for clarification, the carmaker responding, "No plans for any other engines for Giulia in North America for 2018 model year besides the 2.0L and 2.9L [gasoline] versions." Having ruled 2018 out, onlookers have turned their eyes to 2019 for the introduction of this 350-hp motor. What's more, a comment on Tatarevic's tweet sends speculation into 48-volt overboost. Twitter user Rob P replied, "This is pretty well established as happening. MY2019, USA only. 280hp + 48V electrical system + elec. assisted turbo = ~350bhp 'Veloce' in USA nomenclature." No matter how the horses are made, assuming 350 cavalli make it across the Atlantic, Alfa's lineup will profit from the addition: Buyers in the sport sedan segment would get some Italian sprezzatura to cross-shop against German Monumentalitat. Related Video: News Source: Bozi Tatarevic / Twitter via Road and Track Rumormill Alfa Romeo Luxury Performance Sedan FCA alfa romeo giulia 48-volt system giulia

Alfa Romeo Tonale drops the non-hybrid 2.0-liter for the U.S.

Until last week, we were expecting the Alfa Romeo Tonale to be sold with two powertrains here. When the compact crossover greeted the world for the first time in February, Alfa Romeo told us our market could expect a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder as the base option, putting out 256 horsepower through a nine-speed automatic to all four wheels. The premium choice would be a plug-in hybrid powertrain that paired a 177-hp, 1.3-liter four-cylinder turning the front axle with a 121-hp electric motor working the rear axle for a combined 275 hp. The PHEV would also be capable of 30 miles of pure-electric motoring in the U.S. Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato told Automotive News Europe during the media drive that the non-hybrid 2.0-liter is no longer an option for the U.S. because Alfa Romeo needs to go especially aggressive on reducing emissions here. In Europe, the Tonale can be ordered with both powertrains as well as a diesel. Here, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently proposed a new set of regulations that lay out tougher benchmarks for an automaker's CO2 emissions. If the regulations pass, 35% of an automaker's sales in the state will need to be zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) by 2026 and 100% by 2035. California, by itself, is on the cusp of passing Germany as the world's fourth-largest economy, according to Bloomberg. Furthermore, 13 states and the District of Columbia adhere to CARB emissions rules, nine of those follow California's ZEV program, and three more states will join the ZEV regulations over the next three years. Alfa Romeo sold just over 18,000 cars here last year, and it needs plenty of Tonales to offset all those Stelvios. Across the Atlantic, the Euro 7 emissions giving carmakers public fits are slated to come into force on July 1, 2025. For these reasons as well as Alfa Romeo's commitment to going all-electric this decade, Imperato told ANE the PHEV is "an existential need" in the lineup. An Alfa Romeo spokesperson in the U.S. elaborated to Car and Driver, "As a premium brand, the PHEV better aligns with what our customers want in this segment as it provides an elevated experience, greater performance, and more than 30 miles of electric range." The subtext here is that the Tonale's corporate twin, the Dodge Hornet, will offer both powertrains when it goes on sale next year.