Alfa dives into premium range
Alfa Romeo has dived into the premium midsized luxury sedan arena with a sharp $59,895 starting price, before on-road costs, for its all-new Giulia range, throwing down the gauntlet to rival luxury Euros Audi, BMW, Mercedesbenz and Jaguar.
With a sub-$60,000 price, the newcomer to the market undercuts the equivalent variants offered by each of the competing brands, with Audi’s A4 2.0 TFSI costing $60,900, BMW’S 320i $61,900, Jaguar’s XE 20t Prestige $60,400 and the Mercedes C200, which is on offer for $61,400.
While some of Alfa’s rivals do offer more affordable options with smaller engines and lower levels of specification for brand-loyal customers on a budget, the Italian car-maker has weighed into the market with a 2.0-litre turbo petrol and more kit, it says.
The entry-level Giulia also bumps gloves with some Japanese luxury offerings including the $59,340 Lexus IS200T and Infiniti Q50 GT from $53,900.
Above the base Giulia, Alfa is offering a comprehensive range of options with the Super that adds extra kit to the same drivetrain as the entry Giulia for $64,195 or a 2.2-litre diesel version for $65,895.
At the higher-performance end of the range the $71,895 Veloce takes the same 2.0-litre petrol engine as the more affordable options but squeezes out extra power, and at the top of the pack the halo Quadrifoglio Verde, QV, takes the fight to the BMW M3 and Mercedes-amg C63 S for $143,900.
At the announcement of Australian pricing, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia president and chief executive Steve Zanlunghi said the new Giulia range would poach customers from the other strong European brands by offering something different, while still appealing to its loyal followers.
“It’s going to be two distinct ways that we are going to market with the vehicle,” he said.
“One is going to be geared towards those passionate Alfistis and fans that have kept the brand going through thick and thin, and then there’s the ones that we have to conquest – the people that want something different than just the normal, everyday, common German brand.”
Mr Zanlunghi predicted the mighty QV would account for about 10 percent of sales and the mid-range variant would produce the most volume.
“As of right now we are pegging it to be somewhere around 10 percent of the volume,” he said of the QV.
“It will be pretty split, but we think probably the largest volume will be the Super for us, then probably the Veloce, then the regular Giulia.” The Giulia is the first model to roll out from the Italian brand on the new Giorgio platform concluding a five-year development project, but the architecture will proliferate the range with the Stelvio SUV the next vehicle to adopt it.
All versions also use a ZF eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission which sends power to the rear wheels, matching BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar’s driver-focused front engine, rear-drive layout.
Dynamics and handling are also enhanced by a 50:50 weight distribution for all variants, while a carbon-fibre propshaft, widespread use of aluminium alloy and all-alloy engines minimise weight for all variants – as little as 1394kg in the case of the entry-level version.
All Giulia variants have a comprehensive list of safety features which have culminated in a 98 percent safety rating by independent vehicle assessor Euro NCAP – the highest awarded to any car to date.