It is rare that press release hyperbole is actually a good barometer of a car’s merit. But when Alfa says the star of the Frankfurt show will be the new GIULIA, they spoke the truth.

This ultra-high-performance sedan is the halo launch model for Alfa’s new BMW-fighter. With size between the M3 and M5, the Giulia Quadrifolio packs 510 horsepower and a sprint to 60-mph of just 3.8-seconds.

With that ultra exclusive variant leading the range, the prices are almost as high as the performance benchmarks.

Available to reserve now, the order books in Europe open in late December with pricing from Euro 79,000. At direct exchange rates, that comes to just under $90k in US dollars. So quite a formidable total, and one that overlaps heavily with the Maserati Ghibli.

How about this fine design, platform and sexy four-door silhouette in a less-power guise?  With BMW clearly the objective bulls-eye, will the base Giulia;s come in at half the $60k M3 base price — like the BMW 320i does with a stripped-out $33k base price?

Not exactly. The Giulia in US form is likely to run a smaller turbo six with pricing in the high $40k region to start. Volumes will be low, and glamour high for all trimlines.

Based on previous timetables for US arrival of Alfa Romeo models, we would not expect this new Giulia to make it stateside until August of 2016 at the earliest, as a 2017 model-year.

 

2017 Alfa Romeo GIULIA Quadrifoglio

• Absolute star will be the new Giulia Quadrifoglio, the perfect blend of the new Alfa Romeo paradigm and ultimate expression of ‘la meccanica delle emozioni’ concept.
• Orders for Giulia Quadrifoglio will open during the last quarter 2015: the car will be sold in Italy for about 79,000 Euro.
• The lightest, best performing and exclusive version of Giulia Quadrifoglio can be booked online starting from the Frankfurt Motor Show.
• Focus will also be on the fascinating Alfa Romeo 4C, Coupé and Spider versions, the modern icon which represents the racing spirit inherent in Alfa Romeo’s DNA.
• On show, a 1964 Giulia T.I. Super sporting the legendary green four-leaf clover emblem which since 1923 has identified the highest performing Alfa Romeo models.
• The new stand will be making its debut in Frankfurt. It is developed around the boldest symbols which characterise Alfa Romeo, like the refreshed logo which preserves the original shape and style elements that made it famous.

 

Alfa Romeo is returning to the Frankfurt Motor Show with a totally renewed stand characterised by a striking appearance and an unquestionably premium appeal. Star of the area will be the new top-of-the range Giulia, sporting the legendary Quadrifoglio badge, which represents the new Alfa Romeo paradigm and is ultimate expression of ‘la meccanica delle emozioni’ concept.

The price of Giulia Quadrifoglio is revealed in Frankfurt for the first time. The sportier version dedicated to the first customers will be available for orders on the website on the days after the show for about 95,000 Euro in Italy. This version will be packed with the sportiest, most exclusive equipment available. It will be the lightest, best performing Giulia of all and will fit carbon ceramic brake discs and ultra-light carbon fibre sporty seats.

Spotlights will also be trained on the fascinating Alfa Romeo 4C, Coupé and Spider versions, the modern icon which represents the racing spirit inherent in Alfa Romeo’s DNA: outstanding performance and engineering excellence for securing the best driving pleasure with stunning looks. By their side, a classic 1964 Giulia T.I. Super sporting the legendary green four-leaf clover emblem which since 1923 has identified the highest performing Alfa Romeo models.

The German motorshow will be the ideal opportunity to celebrate Alfa Romeo’s 105 years of activity, an extraordinary anniversary shared with a small number of vehicle manufacturers. A number which becomes even smaller when comparing the commercial successes and racing victories that the brand has earned around the world. For over one century, Alfa Romeos have been dedicated to who expects their car to transcend the concept of ‘useful means of transport’ and cross over to that of ‘real emotions’.

The new Alfa Romeo stand in Frankfurt, designed and built by architects ‘Navone e Associati’, is developed around selected ‘signs’ which are characteristic of the century-old brand and reminiscent of the historical plant in Arese. For instance, a huge immersive all-LED screen is over 80 metres long and towers over the exhibition area. It expresses the brand’s drive for innovation and is enclosed in a frame which evokes the idea of a racing track, the ground of choice for sampling the performance of all Alfa Romeos today as yesterday.

A further detail of the new stand is the grille pattern stretched across the walls and floor to convey the idea of racing and to provide structure to the entire platform. Similarly, the laminated pillars and the walls, combined with glass, enhance the high-quality concept inherent in Alfa Romeo’s DNA.

The new course of the brand is perfectly expressed by the refreshed Alfa Romeo badge which stands out over the area. Modernised on the outside by Robilant Associati, the distinctive shape and style elements of the emblem which are known and admired worldwide have remained untouched. Not by chance, only who has a great past can face the challenges of the future.

Furthermore, an ‘augmented reality’ station will be set up to present the most innovative features of the new Giulia more in detail, while in another Magneti Marelli corner visitors can discover the potentials of the car’s new infotainment system, connectivity with electronic devices, navigator, advanced voice controls, media player, entertainment and vehicle parameter settings on the innovative TFT 8.8″ display integrated in the dashboard.

Visitors to the Motor Show will be invited to experience the outstanding sound quality of Harman Kardon at the Alfa Romeo stand. Harman will be displaying a number of Harman Kardon sound systems for homes and cars. Qualified personnel will be showing visitors about the Harman Kardon sound system fitted on the new Alfa Romeo Giulia.

A selection of merchandising and exclusive Alfa Romeo accessories made in collaboration with Mopar, the reference brand for services, Customer Care, genuine spare parts and accessories for FCA, will be presented in a dedicated area of the stand.

Finally, through brochures and dedicated material at the stand, visitors can learn more about the products of FCA Bank, a financing company specialised in the automotive sector. The company operates on the main European markets and in Germany with FCA Bank Deutschland GmbH with a sole mission: to support automotive sales for all FCA brands by offering innovative financial products complete with added-value services dedicated to the dealer network, private customers and companies.

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

Several examples of Alfa Romeo Giulia will be on show in Frankfurt, all sporting the Quadrifoglio badge to indicate their premium nature with five liveries – Competizione Red, Trofeo White, Vulcano Black, Vesuvio Grey and Montecarlo Blue – combined with leather and Alcantara interiors.

The cars on display are equipped with the powerful 510 HP six-cylinder 2.9 turbo petrol engine, inspired by Ferrari technology and expertise, which becomes the brand’s new benchmark. With such a powerful engine, the Giulia Quadrifoglio ensures exhilarating performance levels: top speed of 307 km/h, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds and delivers a peak torque of 600 Nm. Outstanding performance levels, in an environmentally-friendly way as ever: not by chance, Giulia ranks best in class also in terms of emission levels, with 198 grams of CO₂ per kilometre. For the Giulia, Alfa Romeo engineers have focused particularly on safety features: the car is designed to brake from 100 km/h to 0 in less than 32 metres.

Premium features and equipment, even more enhanced in the exclusive version reserved for the first customers, packed with all the sportiest and best performing details available on the range. The lightest, sportiest Giulia with carbon ceramic brake discs and Sparco ultra-light carbon seats is perfect also on the racing track. This version will be the most evolved expression of the new Giulia Quadrifoglio and will be available for booking on the days after the Frankfurt Motor Show for about 95,000 Euro in Italy.

Sales of the new Giulia Quadrifoglio for a price of about 79,000 Euro in Italy will kick off during the last quarter of the year.

The genuine Alfa Romeo performance is outfitted like a tailor-made garment with a distinctive design which expresses three particular features of Italian style: sense of proportions, simplicity and surface quality finish. The entire ‘creation’ pivots around the driver and the promise of exhilarating driving experiences with sensitive steering, responsive acceleration and prompt shifting and braking. Additionally, choosing rear or four-wheel drive is more than just a tribute to the most authentic roots of the Alfa Romeo legend: it is also a technical solution which offers high performance and astounding fun.

A further particularity of the model is the perfect 50/50 weight distribution across the two axles, the sophisticated suspension system (a further Alfa Romeo exclusive) and the most direct steering on the market. The unique, exclusive technical solutions includes Torque Vectoring for outstanding stability control, Integrated Brake System for considerably reducing braking distance and Active Aero Splitter for active high-speed downforce management.

Finally, the Alfa Romeo Giulia combines extraordinary engine performance and ample use of ultralight materials, like carbon fibre, aluminium, aluminium composite and plastic, to obtain the best weight-to-power ratio (lower than 3), enabling it to achieve a dry weight of just 1,524 kg.

At a motor show for the first time ever, the new Giulia was introduced in a world preview on June 24 – on the day of the brand 105th anniversary- with a moving performance by maestro Andrea Bocelli. There could have been no better venue for this splendid event within the event than the new Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese. The brand’s ‘home’ reopened its doors to the general public on June 30. The renovated facility hosts Alfa Romeo’s most famous and innovative creations. These cars have written some of the most important pages in automotive history and are sources of inspiration for young Alfa Romeo designers and engineers still today.

Five are the elements which made Alfa Romeo one of the world’s most desirable automotive brands: distinctive Italian design, state-of-the-art, innovative engines, perfect 50/50 weight distribution, unique technical solutions and the best weight-to-power ratio. These are the indispensable ingredients for creating an Alfa Romeo and which create the ‘meccanica delle emozioni’ (or the ‘the mechanics of emotions’ in English). This distinctive pay-off will be publicised worldwide in Italian only to pay homage to the homeland where the legend was born over one century ago. Still today, the brand carries Italian-made pride on everyday roads, on the most famous race tracks and in the hearts of millions of enthusiasts.

Distinctive Italian design

An Alfa Romeo springs from the perfect balance of heritage, speed and beauty making it the highest expression of Italian style in the automotive world. The new Giulia is no exception because it encapsulates three particularities of Italian design: sense of proportions, simplicity and care for surface quality. This is the ‘skin’ that Alfa Romeo stylists have modelled with painstaking care on the mechanical parts.

In particular, the proportions are based on the technical architecture of the entire car: for Alfa Romeo the key elements were the 50/50 weight balance and rear wheel drive. In order to balance the weights perfectly, the engine and the mechanical parts are arranged between the two axles. This is why the Giulia has very short overhangs, a long bonnet and front wings, a retracted passenger compartment ‘settled’ on the drive wheels and muscular rear wings which visually mark the point where power is unleashed onto the road. All this translates into a very generous wheelbase – the longest in its category – contained in one of the most compact bodies. These proportions draw the dynamic shape of an ellipsis in plan view. Furthermore, the rounded angles and the enveloping pillars convey momentum to the car creating a ‘drop-shaped’ profile which is reminiscent of the Giulietta Sprint, one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

A second aspect of the Italian style is ‘simplicity’ which enshrouds what is in fact one of the most complex creative processes in industry: designing a car. It is up to style to conceal the long, complex work behind a simple, natural line which enhances elegant shapes and sophisticated Italian taste. This approach permeates the entire history of Alfa Romeo expressed by means of clean, streaming streaks as always. For this reason, the new Alfa Romeo boasts a strong identity drawn in few simple strokes: a line gouged along the sides which marks the doors and envelops the handles and, naturally, the legendary trefoil nose, possibly the most famous, recognisable style element in automotive history.

Finally, Italian style is characterised by high quality surface finish which means creating rich, harmonious reflections across the volumes. The end result is the new Giulia, a statuesque shape reminiscent of a big cat just about to spring. The same inspiration is found inside the car. Everything is clean, essential and pivots around the driver, like the controls grouped on the small, direct steering wheel designed to adapt to all driving styles. And more. The driver’s position was ‘cut’ as a fabric with a diagonal tunnel, a slightly undulated dashboard and cleverly oriented instruments which convey the impression of a tailor-made suit with hand-crafted care and premium materials: carbon fibre, wood and fabrics are chosen for their visual and tactile pleasantness and assembled to make the human touch visible.

Not last, a special mention goes to front and rear light clusters of the Giulia made by Magneti Marelli in collaboration with Alfa Romeo. Compendium of style excellence and technology, the LED rear light clusters enhance the rear end in a uniquely distinctive manner. Similarly, design and ergonomics characterise the headlights implementing Xenon technology with 35W module, capable of increasing the light flux and light diffusion with energy saving and night visibility which increases by 200% with respect to normal halogen headlights. Furthermore, they guarantee more safety because an obstacle can be seen at least one second earlier, which is equal to an advantage of 28 metres of braking distance when travelling at 50 km/h. Furthermore, the headlights implement AFS technology while the daylight running lights (DRL), cornering light, side lights and direction indicators use LED technology for better fuel efficiency and maximum performance.

 

State-of-the-art, innovative engines

State-of-the-art, innovative engines are another characterising element of a genuine Alfa Romeo. For this reason, a unique engine in terms of technology and performance, destined to become the new benchmark of the brand, has been created for the Quadrifoglio version.
The six-cylinder turbo petrol tuned by engineers with Ferrari background delivers 510 HP and a torque in excess of 600 Nm for exhilarating performance: for instance, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in only 3.9 seconds, while its top speed is 307 km/h.

Among other things, although the horsepower and torque values are exceptional, the unprecedented engine is also best in class in terms of emission levels (198 g/km of CO₂) and it is surprisingly cheap to run, thanks to the electronically-controlled cylinder disabling system. Clearly, like all next-generation engines, whether petrol or diesel, this 6-cylinder is entirely made of aluminium, to minimise the car’s absolute weight, especially on the front axle, for a genuine Alfa Romeo roar.

 

 

Perfect weight distribution

A peculiarity of the new Giulia is the astute management of weights and materials to obtain a perfect 50/50 distribution across the two axles. This is fundamental to ensure the typical Alfa Romeo driving satisfaction which was reached by tweaking the layout and arranging the heavier elements in the most central position possible.

The suspensions are as essential for ride optimisation as weight distribution. In particular, a multi link solution ensuring top performance, driving pleasure and comfort have been chosen for the rear axle. On the front, instead, a new double track control arm suspension with semi-virtual steering axis was developed to optimise the filtering effect and guarantee rapid, accurate steering. This Alfa Romeo exclusive keeps the constant caster trail on corners and can tackle high lateral accelerations as a result of the always perfect footprint. In any situation and at all speeds, driving Alfa Romeo Giulia with the most direct steering ratio on the market is natural and instinctive.

 

Innovative, exclusive technical solutions

As a further expression of the Alfa Romeo engineering culture, the design, the build and the choice of materials of the chassis and the suspensions are always perfect. As a consequence, it was decided that electronics should only be used to make the driving experience guaranteed by excellent basic mechanics even more exhilarating.

This is demonstrated by the exclusive technical solutions present on the new car, like Torque Vectoring with a twin clutch to allow the rear differential to control the torque delivery to each wheel separately. In this manner, power transmission to the road is improved also in low grip conditions. So, the driving is safe and fun without ever having running up against an invasive stability control system. The Integrated Brake System (IBS) – the innovative electromechanical system which combines stability control and a traditional servo brake for instantaneous brake response and consequent record-breaking stopping distances in addition to the all-important weight optimisation, pedal vibration reduction and brakes performances – is being introduced on the new Alfa Romeo.

Together with an excellent Cx, a perfect balance of forces on corners and downforce behaviour, the new model has Active Aero Splitter, a front system which actively manages downforce for higher performance and better grip even at fast speed. The new Alfa Romeo Giulia also fits a renewed Alfa DNA Pro which modifies the car’s dynamic behaviour according to the driver’s selection: Dynamic, Natural, Advanced Efficiency (energy efficiency mode implemented for the first time on an Alfa Romeo) and naturally Race (on high performance versions).

 

All these state-of-the-art systems are governed by the Chassis Domain Control (CDC) – a technology developed jointly with Magneti Marelli – which acts like the car’s ‘brains’ and coordinates all the onboard electronics. The system manages the action of the various features – such as the renewed DNA Pro selector, the Torque Vectoring, the Active Aero Splitter, the active suspensions and the ESC – and assigns specific tasks of optimising performance and driving pleasure to each one. More in detail, the CDC adapts the ride in real time making the DNA Pro mappings dynamic according to acceleration and rotation data detected by the sensors. Critical solutions are prevented and managed by informing the specific control units involved in the electronic system of the car in advance: chassis, powertrain, suspensions, braking system, steering, power steering and differential on curves.

The passenger compartment of the new car offers the best in terms of quality, safety, equipment and comfort with a specific, profoundly Alfa Romeo style element: the centrality of the driver.

Not by chance, all the main controls, including the start button, are incorporated in the steering wheel as on a Formula 1 car, while the human-machine interface consists of two simple, user-friendly knobs for adjusting the Alfa DNA Pro selector and the Connect 3D Nav infotainment system.

The Connect 3D Nav of Alfa Romeo Giulia – developed with Magneti Marelli – offers a sophisticated series of features and functions, including a next-generation HMI human-machine interface. The system is mostly controlled by means of the Rotary Pad and by using the TFT 8.8 inch display integrated in the dashboard. The Rotary Pad offers an advanced voice recognition system and a gesture recognition system, which allows to interact with the system simply by moving the fingers on the pad. Connect 3D Nav also allows full connectivity with all mobile devices (mobile phones, smartphones, tablets with Apple iOS and Android operating systems). In addition to allowing phone calls using the Bluetooth connection in hands-free mode, the infotainment system plays audio contents from USB device and smartphone by means of Bluetooth technology, in addition to managing the DAB digital radio and the Hi-Fi digital audio. Finally, the system implements navigation functions with high-resolution 3D maps. The system is quick to calculate routes and can be used even if the GPS signal is missing by exploiting Dead Reckoning technology. It also allows to update the TomTom maps via USB and view driving system information.

Finally, the sophisticated Harman Kardon Sound Theatre system, which satisfies the desire for superior, detail-rich audio output, is debuting on Alfa Romeo Giulia. The heart of the system is a 12-channel class D amplifier which secures high performance but is compact at the same time. The amplifier distributes clear sound through a system of 14 speakers inside the car for superior listening quality. Logic 7® technology is used to obtain a surround effect from 5.1 different high-resolution sources and harmoniously uniform stereo playback. With this sound system, occupants can experience the premium quality for which Harman Kardon is famed.

 

The best weight-to-power ratio

To obtain an excellent weight-to-power ratio (remarkably lower than 3), the Alfa Romeo Giulia combines extraordinary engine performance and ample use of ultralight materials throughout. For example, carbon fibre was chosen for the propeller shaft, the bonnet and the roof and aluminium was picked for the engine, the brakes, the suspensions (including front domes and front and rear frames), in addition to many other body components, such as the doors and the wings. Furthermore, the rear crossmember is made of aluminium composite and plastic. An unladen weight of 1,524 kg for the new model has therefore been achieved.

In order to decrease the total weight, the braking system was tweaked using aluminium elements and carbon ceramic discs and the seats have a carbon fibre structural frame. Despite all this weight optimisation, the car boasts the best torsional rigidity in its class to guarantee quality over time, acoustic comfort and handling even in conditions of extreme stress.