2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Rwd on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo realigns product onslaught (again)

After Sergio Marchionne announced an ambitious plan in May of 2014, Alfa Romeo has continued to struggle, pushing back launch dates and the debut of the models that would serve as the brand's new bedrock. And now it's happening again. A new investor relations document reveals that Alfa won't complete the debut of its new lineup until the middle of the next decade, and that FCA will be scaling back the brand's research and development, manufacturing, and product investments through 2018. The move is partially down to "uncertainties" in China, which gels with what we reported back in December. Alfa also needs extra time to "guarantee proper global distribution network execution," the document claims. As we've reported, the revised product cadence will still see the Giulia (pictured) and a new midsize utility vehicle hit dealers in 2016 and late 2016/early 2017, respectively. From there, Alfa is still aiming to flesh out its lineup with six more vehicles, including a fullsize sedan, two more utility vehicles, two "specialty" vehicles, and a hatchback. This new product strategy differs from the original Marchionne strategy in a few key ways. First, all of these vehicles were supposed to have been launched between May 2014 and sometime in 2018. Since it's 2016 and we can't even buy a Giulia yet, it's pretty clear that plan isn't going to happen. Instead, the six vehicles that will follow the Giulia and midsize CUV won't start arriving until 2017, with debuts continuing until at least 2020. The new product strategy also better reflects today's market. Gone are the two compact cars, and in their place is a single hatchback, arriving at the tail end of the brand's new product offensive. That might explain why the MiTo was given a stay of execution. It's no surprise to see a second utility vehicle in Alfa's plan, considering the way the segment has exploded in the past few years, while enthusiasts will likely welcome the idea of a second "specialty" vehicle. The brand's second midsize sedan has been pushed out, though, so the only Alfa four-door following the Giulia will be a fullsizer. As for Maserati, the investor relations PDF didn't list nearly as many specifics. As we've reported, FCA still expects the Levante CUV to be a growth leader for the brand by 2018. The performance brand's fortunes will also be bolstered by pairing its dealerships with those of Alfa Romeo. Related Video:

Standard Alfa Romeo Giulia still looks beautiful in Geneva

No matter how many times we see the Alfa Romeo Giulia, it continues to be a beautiful sports sedan. The top-spec Quadrifoglio is a fantastic looking four-door, but even the base model and Super trim on display in Geneva retain the model's attractive looks. The standard versions lose the big vents and more aggressive look from the Quadrifoglio, but their simplified shape is still gorgeous. Alfa packs the cars with tech, too. At least in Europe, base models get standard forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, and a 6.5-inch infotainment system. The Super adds leather and 17-inch wheels, and an optional Sport Pack includes Xenon headlights a sport steering wheel, and aluminum trim on the dashboard, center console, and door panels. Finally, the Quadrifoglio aims for performance with carbon fiber parts on the roof, hood, and front splitter, and the options include carbon-ceramic brake discs, and carbon fiber seats. In Europe, customers will have the option of a 2.2-liter diesel with 150 or 180 horsepower, a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with 200 hp, and the fire-breathing 510-hp 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, which is exclusive to the Quadrifoglio. We don't get the oil-burner in this country, but Alfa says the North American version of the 2.0-liter has 276 hp. The Quadrifoglio makes 505 hp here. According to Alfa's latest product plan, the Giulia should arrive at dealers in the US sometime in 2016, possibly late in the second quarter. Prices for the full range still aren't official, but the Quadrifoglio would reportedly sell for around $70,000. Related Video: New Alfa Romeo Giulia • The new Alfa Romeo Giulia , making its debut at the Geneva International Motor Show, will be available in three trim levels (Giulia, Super and Quadrifoglio) and six new engine versions:150 and 180 HP 2.2-litre diesel with 6 speed manual or 8 speed automatic transmission, the 200 HP 2.0-litre petrol engine with 8 speed transmission and 510 HP 2.9-litre V6 BiTurbo petrol engine with 6 speed transmission. • From April 15th it will be possible to order the new Giulia progressively in all markets throughout the EMEA area. • The supreme expression of the meccanica delle emozioni (mechanics of emotion), the new Giulia offers distinctive Italian style and optimal weight distribution across the two axles, the new sophisticated Alfa™Link suspension system (Alfa Romeo patent) and the most direct steering in the market segment.

Form and function in fairly equal parts | 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio First Drive

Alfa Romeo, a brand synonymous with sports cars that combine beautiful Italian design with historically dodgy reliability, now makes a crossover. The Stelvio is named after what is quite possibly the best driving road in the world, and the automaker would have you believe that it is the most purely focused driver's ute in the world. To that end, the Stelvio boasts a perfect 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution, a fast 12.0:1 steering ratio, and an all-wheel-drive system that's tuned to send 100 percent of the engine's power to the rear wheels whenever possible. All of those bits add up to an SUV that's genuinely fun to drive on winding roads. Think of the Stelvio as an Alfa Romeo Giulia with a suspension lift kit that puts you 2.5 inches higher off the tarmac. Yes, those stilts mean the crossed-over Alfa isn't quite as sharp as the Giulia, but the Stelvio isn't at all dimwitted. It's a true Alfa Romeo, in spirit and in execution, right down to its standard carbon-fiber driveshaft. The Stelvio shares its 111-inch wheelbase and its double-wishbone front and Alfa Link rear suspension systems with the Giulia. That's not to say that the Stelvio drives as well or looks as good as the Giulia. The crossover is 2 inches longer and 8.9 inches taller than the sedan from which it was born. We got the feeling that we were sitting on top of the car's chassis instead of within it, which is due entirely to the high seating position that American drivers are so fond of. And whereas the Giulia wears its sheetmetal like a slinky little black dress, the Stelvio's Scudetto front fascia and Trilobo air intakes are stretched over a much larger frame and its sides are sculpted in a more masculine way. Still, the Stelvio is an attractive beast, inside and out. It's unmistakably Italian, which is to say well-tailored with an impeccable form that influences but begrudgingly follows function. Leather seating surfaces are standard. From the driver's seat, the dashboard is dominated by two binnacles housing the tachometer and speedometer. In between is an LCD display that shows a bunch more relevant information. A second screen in an exaggerated widescreen format houses the bespoke infotainment system from Magneti Marelli. That LCD's unique shape makes it look smaller than the Stelvio's competitors, especially as its pinched height makes the backup camera image appear pretty small.