Alfa Romeo News

The first 4WD off-road style Alfa was the 1900M built from 1952-54 for the Italian army to replace their jeeps. However, the coming Alfa SUV will be a lot more luxurious and will not have a numerical identity. In keeping with Alfa's latest trend it will have a name. But it will not be called Kamal, the name given to the concept SUV that Alfa displayed in 2003. That name could be embarrassing in Australia for obvious reasons. Edward Rowe, spokesman for Alfa importers Ateco Automotive, says that whatever it is called, the SUV is an "absolutely definite" for Australia. "As a percentage share of the market 4WD/SUVs in Australia are very big," he says. "And the premium SUV market is disproportionately larger than in other markets so to have this vehicle is important for us. We have already put our hand up for it." However, the major intention of Alfa's drive into SUVs is to attack the US market. "The plan is to return Alfa to the US and obviously you just can't be a player of any significance in the US market without having an SUV," Rowe says. "Alfa can go in with traditional cars, but to have a profitable dealer network they need players in sizeable sectors and one of the most sizeable in the US is SUVs." Rowe says the Alfa SUV would have "a lot of luxury features". "It's too early to talk about specifics other than to say it would match the features and equipment of existing Alfas, so you can expect to see a lot of handcrafted leather, advanced telematics and a very distinct Alfa character inside and out," he says. The drive system will not come from the new Ferrari FF AWD, but will be an American system mated to Alfa's twin-clutch transmission which was originally designed not only for use in transverse front-wheel drives but also longitudinal 4WD installations. Alfa and Maserati will use the new Jeep Cherokee platform to create separate SUVs. The Alfa will have a combination of four-cylinder and V6 petrol and diesel engines while the Maserati - introduced as a Kubang concept in 2003 - will have a V8 and the six-litre V12 from the Ferrari 599. Rowe says the Alfa and Chrysler engines would be "high performance and high revving; suitable for the Alfa character". He believes the Alfa SUV will attract new buyers to the Italian marque.

Widely praised in Europe where it was launched early last year, the Giulietta will not gain the Fiat Group's twin clutch TCT transmission until the third quarter of this year.  Even then, the topline Quadrifoglio Verde (QV) remains manual only. Alfa Romeo Australia general manager Andrei Zaitzev admits this is a particular obstacle for a direct competitor to Volkswagen's all-conquering Golf GTI in a market "where three from four buyers choose DSG", VW's version of the increasingly popular twin-clutch auto. The Giulietta is nevertheless expected to sell 500 units this year, 350 of them being the entry-level 1.4 MultiAir, priced at $36,990 plus charges and options. The QV, with an impressive 173kW/340Nm 1.75-litre turbo petrol engine, is priced from $41,990. Zaitzev says a 2.0-litre diesel variant will arrive later in the year. Though equipped with cutting edge Euro 5 compliant powertrains, the Giulietta's task of bolstering Alfa's flagging local sales a paltry 914 in 2010 is made more daunting by the local line-up being reduced to three model lines. With the Spider convertible and Brera coupe in run out, there will remain only the Mito small hatch, the Golf-sized Giulietta and the 159 medium sedan and sportwagon. Zaitzev says the company is "desperate for new product" but the 159's replacement, the Giulia, has been "pushed back until the 2012 and we won't see it before 2013," by which time the range will be eight years old.  A much-needed SUV would be unlikely to see the light of day before that. Would this be of interest? "Hell, yes," Zaitzev says. "You'd be mad not to participate in the sector of the market that grows consistently."  Asked if such a gambit would diminish Alfa's image as maker of sporty cars, he says: "It would only erode its image to a very small number of people but introduce it the best selling segment." The Giulietta is the replacement for the 11-year-old 147 hatch. Though bigger in all dimensions, it weighs in at 1242kg for the 1.4, 1320kg for the QV. The MultiAir returns a claimed 5.6 litres per 100km in combined running, the QV 7.6L. The QV is distinguishable by its traditional four leaf clover badge, lowered suspension and dark 18-inch alloys. Both variants are well equipped with standard features including the Q2 electronic differential and the DNA selective drive switch that enables drivers to choose between dynamic, normal and all-weather modes.

Alfa this week showed the strengths of the MiTo twin-clutch six-speed "robotised" transmission and concedes the absence of even a regular torque-converting automatic has cost the company sales since the MiTo launched last year. In the MiTo's case the latest pair of dual-clutch MiTo models - the TCT and TCT Sport - are much smarter than a regular auto unit. For a start there's three different modes to operate in while still in automatic mode, or the option of self-shifting by pushing the lever left to manual mode or using the steering wheel-mounted paddles. Alfa predicts the TCT duo will represent 180 units - or more than 70 per cent of the next year's projected 252 sales. Both TCT models use the company's new "MultiAir" turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engines fitted with stop-start engine management. It's a necessary but still worthwhile upgrade as European production gears up from Euro IV to Euro V-compliant engines and the effects role through the local fleets. Alfa's latest engine puts out 99kW and 190/230Nm depending on whether the transmission is in "normal" or "dynamic" mode. And in most situations the engine is a willing performer once on the boil. The car is allowed to rev to raucous levels in manual mode, but will short-shift even in dynamic mode if it detects only light pedal pressure. Prices start at $31,990 for the TCT with 17-inch alloys, Alfa's DNA system, fog lights, and climb to $34,990 TCT Sport which adds an alloy kick plate and alloy pedals, climate air-conditioning, auto wipers, rear parking sensors and a carbon-fibre effect dashboard that will invite many to steer in that direction. MULTI-AIR Alfa's Euro V compliant 1.4-litre engine is dubbed "MultiAir" not just for its turbocharger but the hi-tech engine itself. The inlet cam has been replaced by an electro-hydraulic array of four solenoids - one for each cylinder - to meter oil flow that in turn adjusts valve lift and timing to match engine speeds and loads with the performance/economy juggling act all. The mechanical cam deals with the two exhaust valves, while a third lobe determines the maximum lift and opening duration of the two inlet valves. Alfa says the system optimises the stoichiometrical efficiency - how well it completely combusts a given charge of fuel with a given volume of air - of the engine over a wider load range.

... in taking the wraps off a driving simulator that taps into their track work with the latest Ferrari F10, opening the experience to online gamers around the world.  High-definition graphics and high-speed response allows the creation of a virtual car on a virtual track, right down to the sort of cornering G-forces experienced by the racers. The Ferrari Virtual Academy is based on the Italian company's in-house test track at Fiorano, although the Mugello and Nurburgring racecourses will soon be added to the action.  "Do you have the guts to challenge me on the track at Fiorano," Alonso asks in Ferrari's official promotion for the simulator. Ferrari says it took 15 experts more than 12,000 hours to creation the simulation, which uses 3D graphics and data processing for the first time on a PC simulation.  The key to the experience is a virtual cockpit and steering wheel which tap into authentic data from the car, including its aerodynamic effects, tyre characteristics and behaviour of the chassis-suspension system, engine and transmission.  Alonso, Massa and Ferrari's F1 test driver Giancarlo Fisichella were all involved in testing of the simulator to ensure a realistic performance. Ferrari says the computer modelling of the car is matched to laser scanning of the real F10 at Fiorano, calibrating the simulator to the actual corners at Fiorano. Drivers on the Ferrari Virtual Academy can record their own time online, as well as taking part in an international tournament for weekly rewards from the Ferrari merchandise catalogue. But, wait, there is more. The five fastest drivers at the end of the tournament will win a trip to Ferrari in Italy and will be rewarded with a place at the Ferrari Driver Academy course.  The simulator costs 14.90 Euro and can be purchased online from the site www.ferrarivirtualacademy.com

Barely 1400 of these cars were made and Geoff McGee's rare 1974 example is one of a few in the world that have been converted to right-hand drive. Zagato is a Turin car body-building company that has created their own interpretations of a range of mainly Italian cars over the years. The Zagato look is striking, it lengthens and bulks up the donor car - in this case the classic 105 series Alfa Romeo. Aluminium body work is a company trait though McGee says his car has been limited to an aluminium bonnet. McGee says he was originally taken by the look of the unusual Z-car. "The style of them struck me. I started searching for them for two years." In those days before the web that meant scouring car magazines and hunting down contacts. McGee says he eventually tracked down the right car in Oregon in the US. It had been imported from Italy in 1985 but by 1994 the owner was looking to sell. "I think because of the smog laws he didn't drive it much." In fact he had done only about 9000km in its nine years stateside. After getting a friend to check it McGee took the plunge and the car arrived in Australia in 1996. "It was in much the same condition as it is now," he says. "It is a very original car except for the carpet. It is not a Zagato carpet, it is an Alfa Romeo carpet." McGee, a fitter-machinist, then undertook the left to right hand drive conversion himself. He found that Alfa had created pre-cut notch marks in the firewall to assist a conversion. The car's unusual features include a perspex shield across the front of the grille to help protect it from stones etc. It is a distinct sporty two-seater coupe with a tiny luggage space and unique electric-controlled hatch opening system. He says it's a tight fit, a car made for the driver to wear rather than just sit in. The 1.6-litre 4-cylinder twin overhead cam engine still beats strong and is coupled to a very smooth five-speed manual gearbox. Aided by some good Alfa brakes the car is competent in modern traffic although being on club plates McGee says it doesn't get out very often. McGee has a number of classic cars but has an as-yet unobtained beauty to buy. He says his dream Alfa is a 1953 Superleggera 1900SS. "It's a beautiful car, an absolutely drop dead gorgeous car." 1974 Alfa Romeo 1600 Junior Zagato Years built: 1972-1975 Number made: 1402 Price when new: about $10,000 Value now: up to $50,000

Alfa sold 73 cars in Australia last month and 587 in the year up to July 31, almost 100 down on the same time in 2009. The brand is struggling with an uneven and ageing lineup — ancient in the case of the 147 hatch which is as old as the century. The GT coupe (based the 147 and the dead for five years 156) is in runout. The 159 had one of its worst ever months with just 14 sales in July, while the Spider and Brera move as few as one or two units each a month. While the MiTo, long held back by its non-choice of manual transmission, gets the Fiat group's TCT twin clutch auto by year's end, Alfa's crucial — as in simply must not fail — Giulietta reaches local showrooms in December.  Australia is taking two models for now; the 1.4 MultiAir and the Cloverleaf with a 1750cc direct injection turbo petrol engine that Alfa Australia have so far been unable to secure at a realistic price in the 159. There will be a choice of six speed manual or TCT transmissions. The Q2 electronic differential is standard. Though ostensibly a 147 replacement, the Giulietta is appreciably bigger. And though considered a rival to Volkswagen's Golf in Europe — where the MultiAir model, in particular, has been well-received — spokesman for importer Ateco, Edward Rowe, says it will be marketed as a prestige hatch against Audi's A3 and BMW's 1 Series. These start in the mid- to high $30K range up to more than $50,000. Reports indicate that the Giulia, the 159's replacement, will debut at next year's Frankfurt Motor Show and would be likely to reach Australia in the second half of 2012.

But the Mazda CX-7 was a four-star disappointment despite a five-star ranking in Australia.  The BMW and Alfa both scored better than 90 per cent for occupant safety, and more than 80 per cent for child occupant protection, with the BMW also getting a perfect score for safety assist features. "The BMW 5 series achieved the highest result in pedestrian protection with a respectable 78 per cent. The car has an active bonnet, so that when a pedestrian is struck, the bonnet is lifted from its position as a result, creating more space to absorb the energy that usually results in injury," says Michiel van Ratingen, secretary-general of Euro NCAP. "The Alfa Romeo Giulietta is equipped with a reactive seat and head restraint offering good protection. The BMW seat and head restraint also provides good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear impact." The four-star Mazda CX-7 in Europe improves to a five-star car in Australia.  The difference in rankings comes down to a new scoring system for the European testing, which is tough on whiplash protection. "While we're certainly aware of the news surrounding the Euro NCAP score for Mazda CX-7, all CX-7's sold here in Australia have a 5-star ANCAP rating and this has not changed," says Steve Maciver of Mazda Australia. "ANCAP and EuroNCAP perform the same tests but use different scoring systems. Euro NCAP has recently added a whiplash component and if this car was tested in 2009 by Euro NCAP it would have received five stars. "Mazda takes occupant safety extremely seriously and as such is working towards making improvements to ensure that the CX-7 meets Euro NCAP anti-whiplash testing requirements. We are confident that there will be no negative impact on sales and that buyers will continue to see its leading combination of style, safety and value."  

The Italian brand has been looking for a showroom magnet in recent years and, despite the introduction of the MiTo from $31,490, it has failed to find one.  The Giulietta is newer, sportier and less quirky in its design, a combination that the local importer hopes will work if it can lock the car into its local lineup."We either have to piss or get off the pot with Alfa Romeo. They are convinced Alfa will work. We want it to work," says the top man at Ateco Automotive, Neville Crichton.  "If we get the Giulietta at the right price, that brand should be doing 3000 to 4000 cars a year."Alfa has had an up-and-down run in Australia since the 1970s, when it won plenty of fans with the enthusiastic little Alfasud and the GTV sports coupe. But quality was patchy, rust was aglobal problem, and Alfa sales dropped away once the company shut its direct factory operation down under.Now Ateco has the brand as part of an Italian connection that includes Ferrari, Maserati and Fiat, and it is planning to build a future around the Giulietta.  It currently sells the 1.4-litre MiTo, the 147 hatch and 159 sedan and station wagon, but knows it needs a true hero car to generate a showroom following."We've been hamstrung because we haven't had the product," Crichton says.  He sees the Giulietta going head-to-head with the Volkswagen Golf GTi in the hot-hatch class and believes the Italian car will not be disgraced."They want us to have a serious go with it. It's probably a little bit bigger than the Volkswagen and should be a better car."  Crichton is blunt and honest on the recent troubles with Alfa, which centre on the cars' transmissions. It has yet to build a quality automatic and its manu-matic gearboxes were among the first and, apart from baulky shifts, also caused quality problems which hit owners."The 156 went well and then we had problems with the transmission. We were the first people in the world to have Selespeed," Crichton says.  Lots of people liked it, but then we had troubles . . .

Europe is back in business, celebrating the end of the global financial crisis that rocked the car world and drove the biggest of them all - General Motors - into bankruptcy.There were green shoots of happiness at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late 2009, but this week's Geneva Motor Show shows the same sort of excitement and promise of an early spring morning in Europe.Every carmaker has something new in Geneva, from full-blown production models to quirky concepts. The Swiss show is often dismissed as a sideshow but this time, with 25 new models as diverse as the Nissan Micra and Porsche Cayenne, there is serious action on every front.Carmakers are predictably focussed on green solutions to meet the challenges of fuel economy and CO2 emissions - with Fiat even showing a tiny two-cylinder engine for its funkoid 500 - but there is also room for fun.  How else do you describe a Honda city concept that looks like a 20th-century take on the unicycles used by Circe du Soleil acrobats?But even the green machines have turned mean as Ferrari shows its 599 Vettura Labratorio hybrid, although BYD from China balanced things with its fully-electric E6 hatch.Porsche also has its 918 supercar concept and both it and the Ferrari tap Formula One technology with KERS hybrid packs - that's Kinetic Energy Recovery System - to store energy for a quick, explosive boost of extra power.Porsche plans to put the 918 into production but, as yet, Ferrari is only using the super-special 599 - painted symbolically in green instead of the Italian brand's signature red - as a rolling labratory.  "We want to understand how to use this technology. We are not yet at the point to see it in a road going Ferrari," says Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari's CEO.The upbeat mood at Geneva is captured by the top man at Bentley, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, who says the reaction to his company's Mulsanne and Supersports models has filled him with confidence after a shocking 2009.  "There is a feeling that it is behind us," Paefgen says as super-wealthy Bentley buyers emerge from their GFC-proof bunkers.Walking the stands at Geneva I see green machines that are more than just concepts and plenty of choices for small-car buyers, from budget hatches to baby prestige cars like the Audi A1.  The little Audi gets a rousing reception, Volvo wins praise for the safety and styling of the new S60 sedan and the Alfa Giulietta - replacement for the 147 - raises more questions about the often-promised renaissance for the brand.Lexus shows a compact new CT200h hybrid that brings petrol-electric power to a new group of buyers, Mini has the Countryman with extra ground clearance and the basics for a World Rally Championship challenge in 2011, and the Mitsubishi ASX crossover - test driven this week by Peter Lyon near Tokyo - heads the Japanese contingent.For Alfa fans, the Giulietta is pitched at the Volkswagen Golf with a range of 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines.  BMW’s new 5 Series and a 4-litre six-cylinder X5 diesel creates a predictable buzz among SUV fans.Kia’s head of design, Peter Schreyer, lifts the wraps off the stylish new Sportage, which is due in Australia later this year, with the promise of both turbodiesel and petrol engines, as well as front and all-wheel drive.  The Sportage could be major hit for the Korean brand, matching the impact of the Hyundai ix35, when it goes on sale with an opener in the sub-$30,000 bracket.Ford leverages the first European appearance of its new Focus hatch in Geneva by unveiling the Focus wagon, which at this stage is a Europe-only car. Europeans are big wagon buyers and the wagon is expected to account for one-third of all Focus sales there.But the Focus wagon is only the halfway point - the fifth of 10 proposed models - using the same basic building blocks and the future includes a Focus electric car. Currently, the wagon, hatch, sedan and C-Max and Grand C-Max all share the same underpinnings.“We are now using our global resources to develop cars for all countries, including Australia,” says Ford's technical chief, Derrick Kuzak.  He also reveals the current Europe-only Kuga compact SUV and North American Escape will be replaced by a single global car, which could head to Australia, and hints that a hot performance Focus with a more-powerful version of Ford’s 2.0-litre Ecoboost turbo engine will also be available in Australia.Lexus uses Geneva to showcase its critically important CT 200h hybrid, which it hopes to become a volume player.  But the CT 200h is not the only car to push the green theme at the affordable end.Hyundai has the stylish turbocharged 1.7-litre i-flow concept sedan, which uses a lithium-ion battery pack with six-speed dual-clutch transmission, and it is joined by the ix35 FCEV hydrogen fuel-cell car and Opel’s Flextreme GT-E.Apart from Ferrari, Porsche shows off its GT3 R Hybrid - also with KERS - and 918 Spyder, both exploring the outer limits of hybrid drivetrains for race and road cars.  The Cayenne, along with the VW Touareg, share their hybrid debuts as Audi uses the first appearance of its baby A1 to reveal a full-electric E-tron concept that joins earlier R8-based plug-in supercars.Apart from the conventional petrol and diesel A1, Audi also adds the RS5 coupe to its A5 lineup and a hybrid A8 sedan. The RS5 gets a powerful 335kW/430Nm 4.2-litre V8, quattro all-wheel drive and seven-speed S-tronic dual clutch gearbox.Like the BMW-built Mini, Audi has several distinctly styled A1s on its stand. It says owners will have access to so much customisation that no two A1s will be exactly the same.Audi has the Mini firmly in its sights with an expected starting price around $33,000 for the A1, with a three-door car to kick of sales with a five-door and cabrio expected. The range-topper is expected to be an S version with a performance-tuned turbo four cylinder engine.Citroen springs one of the few real surprises of the show with its hot-pink Survolt sportscar while Giugiaro teams up with Proton to deliver a stylish hybrid city car.  The Survolt is a pure design fantasy with no likely production expected. The showcar did not even have an engine and Citroen says it has been designed to go electric.Apart from the sleek Citroen, two Italian styling houses - Pininfarina and Bertone - have show cars based on Alfa Romeo mechanical parts. Bertone returns to Geneva for the first time in two years with the Pandion 2+2 concept coupe and Pininfarina shows the two-seater 2uettottanta.Apart from the twin concepts, Citroen has the DS3 Racing as well as its DS High Rider three door, a pointer to the next-generation C4, which is due to be launched next year as a five-door.  The company will only build 1000 versions of the DS3 racing and the head of local importer Ateco Automotive, Neville Crichton, says he would like to bring a few to Australia but will initially focus on launching the DS range.“It certainly is a good looking thing,” Crichton says.  Mercedes-Benz continues to create a buzz at Geneva with its SLS Gullwing supercar but the F800 Style, a pointer to the next-generation CLS minus its cantilever rear doors, dominates the Mercedes stand and shares the limelight with the E-Class cabriolet.Fitting in the quirky category in Geneva is Aston Martin’s Cygnet hatch, a remake of Toyota’s iQ city car. The $50,000 makeover model will only be sold to existing Aston Martin customers.  Aston Martin boldly has the Cygnet right next to its four-door flagship sports car, the Rapide.

It’s a dread condition, one that smites otherwise quite rational car owners with an insatiable desire to not only drive Alfa Romeos, but to own them.