{"id":528856,"date":"2010-04-15T17:19:00","date_gmt":"2010-04-15T21:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/?p=18934"},"modified":"2010-04-15T17:19:00","modified_gmt":"2010-04-15T21:19:00","slug":"alfa-romeo-giulietta-will-it-be-alfa%e2%80%99s-u-s-comeback-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/528856","title":{"rendered":"Alfa Romeo Giulietta: Will It Be Alfa\u2019s U.S. Comeback Car?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re one of the many American Alfisti whose hearts beat fast when the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta<\/a> was unveiled at the Geneva auto show last March, we have some bad news, tempered by a little bit of good news.<\/p>\n

Your hearts beat faster, because this nifty new front-drive five-door seemed to be a likely vehicle for Alfa\u2019s return to American showrooms, greased by the new relationship between its Fiat Group parent company and Fiat\u2019s teetering U.S. partner, Chrysler.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

At a glance, the stars and planets might seem to be aligned\u2014a sweet-handling hatchback that embodies Alfa\u2019s traditions of style and passion, and a dealer body hungry for new product. But as we return from a brief preview drive on Italian byways, duly impressed by this sexy new compact, we must report that the Giulietta probably isn\u2019t destined for the U.S. Not, at any rate, in the immediately foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The April 21 Proviso<\/strong><\/p>\n

We hasten to add that this is informed speculation on our part, and that the definitive word on Alfa\u2019s future, as well as the future of Chrysler\u2019s relationship with the Fiat Group, will be passed along on April 21 by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne.<\/p>\n

However, pending Marchionne\u2019s announcement, which will detail a five-year plan for all components of Fiat\u2019s complex enterprises, Alfa\u2019s new CEO, Harald Wester, is cautious concerning the U.S. Now in his second month with Alfa after four-plus years as Fiat\u2019s technical director, Wester expresses concern about the Giulietta\u2019s U.S. sales potential\u2014a hatchback in a market with a historical preference for formal sedans. Wester was willing to confirm that Alfa is evaluating Chrysler\u2019s dealer organization with an eye toward outlets suitable for a European premium brand. On the other hand, development of the all-new Giulietta architecture\u2014code-name C-Compact Wide\u2014did not include crash-testing to U.S. standards, which differ from those in Europe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Alfa Bits<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is at least a modicum of good news. If the Giulietta, an Alfa nameplate dating to 1954, doesn\u2019t make it to the U.S. as a complete car, elements of its all-new structure and advanced technology features will likely be at the core of new compact and mid-size cars from Chrysler, as well as vehicles already under development by Fiat.<\/p>\n

The list of techno elements is impressive, including a new 1.8-liter DOHC gasoline turbo four-cylinder rated for 235 hp (one of five Giulietta engines\u2014three gas, two diesels, all turbos). There\u2019s also a new six-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission option, and a sophisticated vehicle-control system with three presets setting operating parameters for engine mapping, automatic gearbox shift patterns, the car\u2019s electronic limited-slip differential, stability control system, and its new dual-pinion electric power steering. Alfa calls the new operational matrix DNA, for the three modes\u2014Dynamic, Normal, and All-weather.<\/p>\n

Target: Wolfsburg<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wester and his colleagues freely admit that the new Giulietta is aimed squarely at Volkswagen\u2019s recently renewed\u2014and ever-popular\u2014Golf lineup, including the hot-hatch GTI. The Golf commands a worldwide market of over a half-million cars annually. Alfa Romeo hopes to sell about 40,000 Giuliettas during the remainder of the 2010 model year, and 100,000 in 2011.<\/p>\n

This would represent a nice uptick for a company that produced just 110,000 cars in 2009. It would also assure the survival of a 100-year-old brand that\u2019s been flirting with extinction the past few years. As to when (or if) the patience and yearning of American Alfisti will be rewarded\u2014it\u2019s been 15 years since Alfa Romeo left the U.S. market\u2014only Signor Marchionne knows. He\u2019ll share his knowledge with the rest of us come April 21.<\/p>\n

Over to you, Serge.<\/p>\n

Related posts:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Alfa Romeo Previews the New Giulietta<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. 2010 Alfa Romeo Giulietta – Official Photos and Info<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. 2010 Alfa Romeo Giulietta @ 2010 Geneva Auto Show – Video<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you\u2019re one of the many American Alfisti whose hearts beat fast when the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta was unveiled at the Geneva auto show last March, we have some bad news, tempered by a little bit of good news. Your hearts beat faster, because this nifty new front-drive five-door seemed to be a likely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6418,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-528856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mobile","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6418"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=528856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528856\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=528856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=528856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=528856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}