To all Mid Florida AROC Members:

The Sarasota Polo Games event, where we shall join with members of the Florida AROC and SW Florida AROC for a picnic lunch, Alfa Romeo car display and parade around the track at half time, will take place this coming, Sunday, January 29th.

The admission is $10. per person, if tickets are purchased in advance.  Harmon Heed, of the Florida AROC, has graciously offered to purchase the tickets in advance to receive the discount price and arrange seating together.  We must advise him by no later than Wednesday, January 25th, of our ticket requirements. We can each reimburse him when we gather in Sarasota.  Accordingly, please let us know by no later than Wednesday if you wish to attend.  We will then advise Harmon.

Those of us joining the caravan to the event,  who live north, east and west in the Greater Orlando area will gather in the parking lot of the Home Depot on Lee Road, one block west of the intersection with I-4, between 8:15 and 8:30am on Sunday morning, and depart promtly thereafter.  To those members who live south of the meeting area, please let us know if you wish to join the caravan and we shall agree on a separate meeting place enroute.

We look forward to a fun filled day together.

Gladys Bernstein, Hospitality

 Thank You Participants & Sponsors for the best ever VIVA Show in 2011

the Celebration show by Carl Fowler 

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne says he will appoint an Alfa Romeo boss for North America by year end, as he seeks to get a footing in the U.S., before turning his attention to Europe.

He says it will be easier to re-establish Alfa's credibility in the U.S. than in Europe. The sporty Italian brand's image has been eroded in Europe by years of mediocre quality, outdated engines and aging vehicles that parent Fiat S.p.A. waited too long to redesign.

"We are going to target the U.S. market first and work our way back into Europe," he said in an interview in Turin, Italy. "We have run market tests on the desirability of the Alfa brand in the U.S. and -- notwithstanding our long absence from the market -- it's still one of the best brands in the world, and I think we need to go back and grab it."

Alfa Romeo left the United States in 1995. The brand's boss for North America will come from Fiat-Chrysler ranks, Marchionne told Automotive News, a sister publication of Automotive News Europe.

Fiat dealers to get Alfa

Grady: U.S. dealers will get Alfa vehicles. In a separate interview, Peter Grady, Chrysler Group's head of network development and fleet, reiterated the company's commitment to bring Alfa Romeo vehicles to U.S. Fiat dealers. The Fiat brand, which was reintroduced to the United States in March, offers only the 500 subcompact, which will remain the core of its U.S. lineup. Alfa Romeo will produce larger vehicles for the dealers to sell. In early October, Fiat had 124 U.S. dealerships open and the company is working to have 150 dealerships open by year end, about 20 more than originally planned, Grady said. Alfa was Marchionne's biggest headache when he took over as Fiat CEO in June 2004 -- and it remains so seven years later, he said. "Alfa continues to be the most difficult thing I need to do." Marchionne said he inherited various Alfa vehicles that failed to reflect the brand's sporty character, such as the Brera and GT coupes, the Spider roadster and the 159 mid-sized sedan and wagon. Alfa's sales have been disappointing, and company executives have scaled back overly optimistic sales goals. In 2006, Marchionne said he wanted to double Alfa sales to 300,000 units in four years, but 2010 global sales were just 115,000 units. Last month, Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester reduced the 2014 target to 400,000 units and this year's goal to a mere 155,000 units.

Chrysler to the rescue

Marchionne: 85,000 U.S. Alfa sales in 2014 But thanks to Chrysler, Marchionne now has larger platforms and engines that Alfa Romeo can use, allowing development costs to be spread over higher sales volumes. For instance, the company plans to downsize and modify Chrysler's 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine for Alfa, Marchionne says. Fiat early this month announced it would produce a direct-injection, turbocharged 1.8-liter gasoline engine, scheduled to appear in 2013. In Marchionne's view, this was the first step to create sporty powertrains for Alfa Romeo. Despite the most recent delay in Alfa Romeo's reintroduction to the United States -- now set for mid-2013 at the earliest -- Marchionne is convinced his original target of 85,000 sales in 2014 is still realistic. "It should be, simply because of what's being offered at the time of the launch," he said. Alfa Romeo's latest plan for the United States calls for importing in mid-2013 a coupe with a rear-mounted engine and rear drive. The coupe was previewed by the 4C concept. Also due in 2013 is a crossover that will share underpinnings with the Jeep Liberty replacement. It will be manufactured in the United States. In 2014, Alfa is set to enter the core of the U.S. market with two mid-sized cars, the Giulia sedan and wagon. The two Giulias, replacements for the Europe-only 159 models, will share underpinnings with the Chrysler 200 replacement, which is due in 2013. The 200 replacement, as well as the two Giulias, will be built in the United States. Also in the works are an imported five-door compact that could appear in the United States in 2013, along with a Spider roadster and a large sedan both set for 2014.

Contact Automotive News

Fiat plans output of new high-performance Alfa engine

First announced in November 2006, the new unit – designed for both transversal and longitudinal applications – will be an all-aluminum unit featuring high pressure direct injection and turbocharging, with power peaking at 300hp, Fiat said.

Fiat's current 1.75 liter turbo power engine peaks at 235hp in the Alfa Giulietta compact hatchback.

The first model to use the new engine most likely will be the Alfa Romeo 4C, a limited edition coupe due in mid-2013. Alfa unveiled a concept model of the 4C in March at the Geneva auto show.

The first volume application of the new engine will occur on the Giulia midsized sedan and wagon to replace the Europe-only 159 range due in early 2014. The Giulia models most likely will be built in the U.S. for distribution in North America and Europe.

The new engine will be built for global application at the carmaker's Pratola Serra plant in central Italy, beginning in early 2013. The facility currently builds Fiat midsize gasoline and diesel engines, including the 1.75 liter turbo unit. The new 1.8 liter engine is designed to be compliant with future emissions standards in both Europe (Euro 6) and the U.S. (Tier 2 Bin 5).

"This is an extremely important step for Alfa Romeo, as we continue to reposition our brand and prepare it for global distribution. The United States remains our primary objective as we prepare for a 2013 introduction of our models," Harald Wester, Fiat's chief technology officer and head of the Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands, said in a statement.

Wester added that the engine is the first in a series of initiatives to be implemented in the near future which will reconnect Alfa Romeo to its historical roots as a premium Italian sports car brand.

Alluring Alfa Romeo falls far short of its promise

The Giulietta is one of two high-volume vehicles Alfa Romeo now sells and is a key to the brand's U.S. return.

Few names can match the allure of Alfa Romeo. The sporty Italian brand is all about swooping lines, intoxicating engine noise, nimble road manners and the sexiest grille around.

Alfa Romeo should be a bright Italian alternative to, say, Audi that stands out from the silver-gray herd of German luxury machines.

But the gap between the brand's glittering promise and sobering reality yawns like the Grand Canyon.

Alfa Romeo has not been profitable for a decade, last breaking even in 2001, and has consistently fallen far short of parent Fiat S.p.A.'s sales expectations. Alfa Romeo sold barely 115,000 units in 2010, far short of its goal of 300,000.

At a Fiat presentation to investors Sept. 14 in Frankfurt, Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester scaled back Alfa Romeo's 2014 global sales target by 20 percent, to 400,000 units. Even that goal looks ambitious for a brand that expects to hit just 155,000 global sales this year.

Fixing Alfa Romeo remains a huge headache for Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler. Meanwhile, Ferdinand Piech, chairman of Volkswagen AG's supervisory board, makes no secret of his desire to buy Alfa Romeo, adding a note of personal rivalry to Marchionne's challenge. Marchionne has said Alfa Romeo is not for sale.

The stakes for Fiat are high because Marchionne has anointed Alfa Romeo as one of two global brands in the Chrysler-Fiat alliance. The other is Jeep. The two brands are crucial to Marchionne's ambition of forging the Fiat-Chrysler alliance into a global heavyweight.

Serial delays

The latest Alfa Romeo disappointment came in Frankfurt last week when Wester acknowledged the brand's shortcomings and announced that the U.S. arrival of several key models would be delayed. The delays, the latest in a series of missed deadlines, mean Alfa Romeo won't arrive in the United States until mid-2013 at the earliest. And its two key high-volume cars--the compact Giulietta and mid-sized Giulia sedan--won't arrive until 2014.

Although Marchionne has said Fiat and Chrysler product development is "inextricably intertwined," Alfa Romeo delays won't affect the timing of future Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models. In a presentation last week to investors in London, Marchionne indicated that Chrysler Group product planning is still on target.

During his Frankfurt presentation, Wester was blunt in his assessment of his brand's shortcomings. Product planning is poor, he said. For instance, the 159, a mid-sized sedan and wagon, is slated to end production in October, but it won't be replaced until 2014 by the Giulia, a vehicle originally scheduled to arrive in 2012.

Managers have lacked "consistent focus on brand DNA," Wester said. Discounting is "distressing the brand." Alfa Romeo does a poor job of using social marketing and leveraging its owner clubs, he added. Alfa Romeo has been plagued by inconsistent management. The brand has had five CEOs in the past seven years.

Near premium

Wester laid out a new plan to make Alfa Romeo a global competitor in "near premium" segments within three years based on a new fleet of "advanced cars" that deliver "Italian design and a dynamic and active driving experience."

But the entry luxury market is treacherous territory. Brands such as Acura and Volvo have struggled to develop a mix of product, pricing and brand message that results in strong sales.

A lot will have to go right if Alfa Romeo is to achieve Wester's target of 400,000 global sales by 2014. If Alfa Romeo can design vehicles as desirable as past hits such as the 156 sport sedan and Competizione sports car and build them at the same improved quality levels that Chrysler and Fiat are now achieving, the plan could succeed.

Alfa Romeo is on target to sell about 155,000 units in 2011 after selling just 115,000 in each of the past two years.

Although Alfa Romeo plans a lineup of six vehicles, the brand now sells just two high-volume models: the Giulietta and the MiTo subcompact.

The Giulia and Giulietta are key to Alfa Romeo's plans to re-enter the United States. The two vehicles would be sold mainly through 130 Fiat dealerships and would be aimed at entry luxury buyers. The dealerships are counting on Alfa Romeo to broaden their product offerings beyond the 500 subcompact, the only nameplate that they now sell.

U.S. entry in 2013

As plans stand, Alfa Romeo will relaunch in the United States in mid-2013 with the 4C, a limited-edition sporty two-seat coupe. That will be followed by a compact SUV built in Turin, Italy, that shares a platform with the next-generation Jeep Compass, and a new five-door subcompact hatch.

Three more cars arrive in 2014: a Spider roadster, the Giulia (sedan and station wagon) and the Giulietta. A large, rear-wheel-drive sedan derived from the next-generation Maserati Quattroporte will arrive after 2014.

Marchionne's drive to update Chrysler's outdated portfolio took a huge toll on his budding alliance's finances and engineering resources. In the United States, Chrysler has spent $3.3 billion introducing new models, refreshing existing ones and refurbishing factories since Fiat assumed management control in June 2009. Moody's Investors Service downgraded Fiat's credit rating last week based on Fiat's closer alliance with Chrysler.

Fixing Alfa Romeo will require more money and effort. Given Alfa Romeo's long history of delays and failures, fixing the brand remains a tall order.

Reality vs. vision

Despite lackluster sales, Alfa Romeo has optimistic forecasts.

2010 global sales: 115,000, 2 models

2010 global sales goal: 300,000

Revised 2014 global sales goal: 400,000, 6 models for U.S.

Source: Alfa Romeo

• Filed Under:  Alfa Romeo

Alfa delays U.S. return again as European debt crisis deepens

FRANKFURT -- Alfa Romeo has delayed the U.S. introduction of several key models by at least another year and has cancelled plans to build a mid-sized SUV at Chrysler Group's factory in Toledo, Ohio.

Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester, in a presentation to financial analysts here today in connection with the Frankfurt auto show, said Alfa Romeo was scaling back its global expansion plans.

Wester's announcement marks the latest in a series of delays of the U.S. return of Alfa Romeo, the sporty brand of Fiat S.p.A. His remarks came one day after Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne offered a gloomy assessment of Europe's debt crisis, saying the European common currency could come off the rails if political leaders don't resolve the lingering crisis soon.

Marchionne said the debt crisis has forced Fiat and Chrysler to examine the timing of new-vehicle introductions.

"We are reviewing volumes and the timing of new products to see when it is really necessary to launch them," Marchionne said.

In its global plan, unveiled in April 2010, Alfa Romeo planned to return to the United States in late 2012. Under the revised schedule, the first car won't come to the United States until mid-2013, when the 4C, a low-volume coupe arrives. The MiTo, a five-door hatchback, is scheduled to follow in the second half of 2013.

The Alfa Romeo brand is to be sold by a network of 130 Fiat dealerships, more than 100 of which are now open. The rest are to open by the end of this year.

Dealers must wait

Fiat dealers have pinned high hopes for Alfa, which would give them a range of larger, sporty vehicles to augment the Fiat 500 small car, the only model they currently are selling.

Those dealers now will have to get by with their Fiat models a while longer. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta, a compact hatchback, was scheduled to arrive in 2013 but now has been moved back to 2014. The crucial Giulia, a mid-sized sedan and wagon that were to have kicked off Alfa's return next year, will not arrive until 2014, under the current plan.

In the past 18 months Marchionne has rejected three rounds of styling proposals for the Giulia sedan and wagon, pushing its launch back.

At the end of July, Alfa had already postponed the two Giulia models until 2013.

Alfa also canceled plans for a mid-sized SUV, originally due in 2014. The vehicle was to have been built in Toledo on a shared platform with the Jeep Liberty. The new plan now calls for a large rear-drive sedan -- derived from the next generation of the Maserati Quattroporte -- to appear beyond 2014.

Subcompact first

In the revised plan, the five-door MiTo subcompact is the only Alfa model to keep the original timing for a 2013 launch.

The new delays led Alfa to trim its global 2014 target of 500,000 unit sales to just 400,000 units.

Alfa had been planning its return to the United States since it signed a strategic alliance with General Motors in March 2000. So the brand's return had been delayed for a decade -- so far. Alfa left the United States in 1995.

According to Wester's presentation, Alfa plans on selling about 155,000 units worldwide this year, compared with 115,000 it sold in both 2009 and 2010.

Alfa Romeo confirms 4C production for 2013

The 4C (pictured) was styled by Fiat's design center in Turin.

Photo credit: Jim Fets

Up to now, parent company Fiat S.p.A. has revealed few details about the production version of the 4C concept unveiled in March at the Geneva auto show.

At the Frankfurt auto show, Alfa exhibited the 4C concept repainted in a metallic silver color it calls fluid metal.

The 4C will probably be the first model Alfa will sell in the United States as part of a much-delayed return to the U.S.

Talking to reporters in Frankfurt, Alfa's CEO Harald Wester, said: "Light weight and efficiency, Italian style, advanced technology and vehicle dynamics are the core values that will lead Alfa Romeo in the future. This philosophy continues with the 4C, which represents our greatest advancements to date and is a precursor of future development."

Alfa plans to build 15,000 to 20,000 units of the 4C coupe over five years, two people familiar to the matter told Automotive News Europe.

Another 5,000 to 10,000 units of a roadster version of the 4C will be built for Abarth, the sources said. Abarth is Fiat's sporty sub brand that markets high-performance versions of the Fiat 500 minicar and Punto subcompact.

Alfa is set to price the production 4C at about 45,000 euros in Europe, company sources say.

Alfa enthusiasts have dreamed for almost two decades of the return of an affordable rear-drive model after the Duetto Spider was discontinued in 1994.

Alfa's 8C Competizione, which was built from 2007-2008, was too expensive for most Alfa buyers. The spider version of the 8C cost up to 213,000 euros and the car's production run was limited to 1,000 units.

Powered with Fiat's 1.8-liter 4-cylinder direct injection turbo gasoline engine, the 4C concept takes design cues from the legendary 33 Stradale launched in 1967.

The Alfa 4C has a top speed of 250kph (155mph) and will accelerate from 0-100kph (62mph) in less than five seconds, Wester said.

The 4C concept was styled by the Fiat Group subsidiary's design center in Turin under the direction of Lorenzo Ramaciotti, recently appointed head of design for Fiat and Chrysler Group.

The 4C's weight is confirmed at around 850 kg (1,784 pounds), with power topping 200hp and a weight to power ratio less than 4 kg (8.82 pounds)/hp, a value worthy of a real supercar," Alfa said.

By comparison, the rear-engine, rear-drive Porsche Cayman coupe offers a 3.98kg (8.77 pounds)/hp weight-to-power ratio even for the S performance model, where 320 hp has to move 1,275kg.

The two-seater, rear-wheel drive coupe with central engine is approximately 4000mm (13.12 feet) long, sitting on a 2,400mm (7.87 feet) wheel base..

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110914/ANE/110919972/1495#ixzz1XwoHeBdK

Alfa Romeo future products:

4C, Giulia lead return to U.S. market

The Alfa Romeo 4C has a carbon-fiber body and a 250-hp engine.

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler Group, says Alfa Romeo will return to the United States in late 2012. But if he makes the deadline, just a few units of the 4C limited-edition coupe would be on sale

Alfa's full return is now planned in mid-2013, about a half-year later than Marchionne's most recent timetable, with a compact crossover. A crucial mid-sized sedan, the Giulia, will follow, by the end of 2013 at the earliest.

Technically, Alfa is in the United States: It sold a few of limited-edition 8C models at Maserati dealerships.

Marchionne's original plan called for North America to account for 85,000 of Alfa's 500,000 sales by 2014. That target looks doubtful in part because of delays in the redesign of the Giulia sedan and delays to larger vehicles. Last year Alfa sold 112,000 vehicles globally.

Subcompact: The car originally was intended as a five-door variant of the Europe-only three-door MiTo (pronounced Me-To). It is now expected to be a new model, which could be imported to North America from Italy beginning in 2013.

4C: Marchionne calls it "the first Alfa Romeo car to re-enter the U.S. market." His wish is to respect the end-of-2012 deadline, but the first units could be shipped to U.S. dealers in early 2013.

The 4C is a "baby" 8C, with a carbon-fiber body and a 250-hp, turbocharged, 1.8-liter direct-injection gasoline inline four-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels.

Alfa plans a total production of about 5,000 units a year of the 4C two-seat coupe, whose target price is below 40,000 euros (about $57,000) in Europe. The 4C will go on sale in Europe at the end of 2012 under current plans.

Giulietta: Alfa's compact hatchback would come to North America when it's refreshed in 2013. The Giulietta, launched in Europe in July 2010, was the first vehicle on Fiat's new Compact platform. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and some Alfa models will use a longer, wider version of the platform, called CUSW, for Compact U.S. Wide.

Giulia: In the past 18 months, Marchionne first approved but then killed three styling proposals for the mid-sized Giulia sedan. The styling work is still far from a design freeze, thus the Giulia sedan would debut at the end of 2013 at the earliest. The wagon likely would come in 2014.

The Giulia sedan and wagon are set to be built in the United States and exported to Europe. They will replace the slow-selling 159 sedan and Sportwagon models, which Alfa discontinued at the end of May.

The two Giulias, which are based on the CUSW platform, will have transverse engines and front- or all-wheel drive.

Roadster: Alfa is still considering a two-seat roadster to go into production in 2013. The company has yet to choose a platform and factory for the car. One option is Chrysler's LX rear-drive platform, used for the Chrysler 300, and the Brampton, Ontario, assembly plant.

Compact crossover: At the end of 2012, Fiat will begin building a compact crossover for Alfa based on the CUSW platform at its Mirafiori plant in Turin. Shipments to the United States are expected to begin in the spring of 2013.

Mid-sized SUV: Fiat seems to have abandoned a plan to develop an Alfa sibling with the replacement for the Jeep Liberty. Also killed was an Alfa sibling of the Jeep Grand Cherokee large SUV.

Large sedan: Marchionne's most recent Alfa product plan calls for a large sedan that Chrysler could build in the United States using a stretched variant of the CUSW compact platform. The model could appear in 2014.

Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110809/CARNEWS/110809872#ixzz1UeQDwLAt

Alfa 4C concept draws inspiration from the legendary Stradale

IMAGE COURTESY OF QUATTRORUOTE
This computer-enhanced image previews the 4C, a concept that hints at a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive Alfa Romeo coupe to debut on Tuesday at the Geneva motor show.

Alfa Romeo took design cues from the legendary 33 Stradale when creating its 4C concept car, company sources say. The concept, which hints at a two-seat, rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe that would become the brand's halo car, will be unveiled Tuesday at the Geneva auto show.

Automotive News Europe has been given a computer-enhanced image of the car from the Italian car magazine Quattroruote. Sources close to Fiat tell ANE that the rendering closely matches what will be seen on the Alfa's stand on Tuesday.

The 4C concept was designed by the Fiat Group subsidiary's styling center in Turin. The car is rakish, compact and extremely low to the ground. The concept debuting in Geneva takes some design clues from the 8C Competizione, but its main inspiration is the limited-edition 33 Stradale.

Launched in 1967, the 33 Stradale was a rear-engine, rear-drive two-seat coupe powered by a 230-hp 2.0-liter V8 derived from Alfa's 33 race car. Alfa built just 18 units of the 33 Stradale, which immediately became a collector's item due to its performance characteristics as well as its cutting-edge look created by Franco Scaglione, one of Italy's top independent designers in the 1960s.

The 4C concept takes design cues from one of Alfa’s most beloved models, the 33 Stradale (shown). Launched in 1967, Alfa built just 18 units of the car, which immediately became a collector's item.

Fiat's struggling sporty brand is set to launch production of the 4C at the end of next year priced at about 45,000 euros (about $62,000) in Europe.

Alfa enthusiasts have dreamed for almost two decades of the return of an affordable rear-drive model after the Duetto Spider was discontinued in 1994.

Alfa's 8C Competizione, which was built from 2007-2008, was too expensive for most Alfa buyers. The spider version of the 8C cost up to 213,000 euros and the car's production run was limited to 1,000 units.

Alfa is set to begin production of the 4C by the end of 2012 in one of Fiat's factories in Italy, possibly at its Mirafiori plant in Turin.

The automaker plans to build 15,000 to 20,000 units of the 4C coupe over five years, two people familiar to the matter told ANE. Another 5,000 to 10,000 units of a roadster version of the 4C will be built for Abarth, the sources said.

Abarth is Fiat's sporty subbrand that markets high-performance versions of the Fiat 500 minicar and Punto Evo subcompact. The Fiat sources said that the 4C could be sold in the United States, but no decision has been made yet.

Crucial launch

The 4C will go on sale at a crucial time for Alfa, as in the final quarter of 2012 the company also plans to introduce the Giulia mid-sized sedan to replace the slow-selling 159 and the brand's first ever SUV, a sister model to the Jeep Compass/Patriot replacement.

The 4C should attract customers to Alfa showrooms to discover--and hopefully buy--the Giulia and the SUV, two key models in Fiat S.p.A. CEO Sergio Marchionne's plan to lift Alfa sales to 500,000 units by 2014. Alfa's global sales last year increased a modest 10.2 percent to 112,000 units despite the introduction of the Giulietta compact hatchback.

Thanks to an innovative construction method, which combines carbon fiber and aluminum, the 4C will be lightweight. Alfa is targeting an 850 kg (1,784 pound) curb weight for the car.

At that weight, the 4C would have an impressive power-to-weight ratio below 7.7 pounds/hp despite being powered by the 1.8-liter, four-cylinder gasoline direct-injection engine offered in the Giulietta with the horsepower boosted to more than 250 hp from 235 hp.

As a comparison, the rear-engine, rear-drive Porsche Cayman coupe offers a 8.3 pounds/hp weight-to-power ratio even for the S performance model, where 320 hp has to move 2,811 pounds.

Alfa Romeo teamed up with Italy's Dallara Automobili, which is one of the world's largest producer of race cars to create the 4C.

The car's structure is inspired by the X-Bow, an extreme two-seat roadster launched in 2007 and engineered by Dallara for Austrian motorcycle maker KTM.

Dallara developed a new carbon fiber cockpit for the 4C, radically different from the unit with no doors and high rockers made for the X-Bow.

The 4C carbon fiber cockpit features front and rear aluminum subframes to house the engine and carry the suspensions, as well as dedicated portions designed to absorb deformation in crash tests.

Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110228/GENEVA/110229928#ixzz1FHz9ZS5B

2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta, an AutoWeek Drivers Log Car Review

9:52 am, July 14, 2011

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: I spent a weekend in this impressive Alfa, and I was struck by how enjoyable it makes regular driving--and that the Giulietta is, in fact, a conventional car.

People do take notice, which is interesting because it doesn't stand out in the mind-blowing fashion of, say, an Audi R8 spyder. But I did get a honk from a guy in a TT on the way home, and traffic seemed to cluster around me in search of a better look more than I would have liked. The most comparable cars are the Volkswagen GTI and the Mazda Mazdaspeed 3, which have tons of power and panache in small packaging.

The engine and transmission are well paired. The six-speed is smooth with throws bordering on the long side, and the clutch take-up is supple and easy. The tranny is so interactive; it makes the pilot want to dart to outside lanes and downshift past sluggish traffic, which I did on a splendid June morning made all the better by the Alfa's dynamics.

Speaking of which: I punched up to the sport setting and was rewarded with a tighter drive, heavier steering off-center and much better punch. It's a subtle transition but noticeable and fun. No need to use the all-weather setting in summer.

This Giulietta lives up to its melodic name in looks and charisma. Like a beautiful woman, this Alfa wears its jewelry well, and the LED headlights and circular patterns in the wheels standout, adding just a flash of bling in all the right places in tasteful style. The curvy black sheetmetal, the famous Alfa badges, the lines and creases--it all presents in a fashion that brings the romanticism of the brand to life.

Inside is a touch tight, though many comparable cars have similar close quarters. The black seats with red stitching are comfortable, sharp and supportive. The dashboard is easy to read and understand, and it's nice to have real switches to turn off features such as the running lights and auto start/stop--which works flawlessly, by the way. I recorded at least seven instances of the system kicking in on my route home.

My initial impression: I could live with this car, and I would love the looks and the feel of it. This is a great entry car for modern enthusiasts seeking the allure of Alfa Romeo.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR—AUTOWEEK.COM BOB GRITZINGER: If Fiat can maintain some of the Italian exuberance when this Giulietta is remade as a Dodge small car, this would be a good thing for Chrysler. This car as equipped, with a small, high-revving MultiAir turbo engine and a six-speed manual gearbox, is a blast to drive. As noted by Greg, the driving feel is pure Euro, the kind of thing we find in a VW GTI, the new Ford Focus or the Mazdaspeed 3. That's the substance, and it's evident in engine responsiveness and a well-sorted chassis--especially in dynamic-driving mode--along with great brakes and a nice shifter and clutch. Add a little Italian flair in the slick and sporty five-door styling (love the hidden rear-door handles and rear hatch release built into the big Alfa medallion), and this car is a notch above all but the Focus from my view.

Inside, the little extra touches and trimmings make the Giulietta a special place to spend time. I love the big silver shift ball and the extra-supportive seats.

Though Greg reported no problems, I have some serious concerns about this application of the stop/start fuel-saving mode. The system shuts down the engine whenever the car is stopped, idling in neutral, with the clutch released. It's supposed to automatically fire back up as soon as the clutch is depressed, but on several occasions, I had depressed the clutch, shifted into first and was releasing the clutch and hitting the accelerator--but the engine hadn't restarted. It wasn't until I pushed the clutch pedal back to the floor that the engine jumped back to life--long enough to leave a big gap in traffic and prompt a few horn honks.

I sure hope that's just a little flaw with this car, because stop/start holds serious promise for saving fuel, but it has to be as dependable as pushing on the gas pedal and having the car go--instantly. Luckily, the system can be shut down, but that sort of defeats the purpose.

I picked up a significant change, for the better, in the engine response and chassis tautness in dynamic-driving mode. I could see little reason to drive in the soft mode, unless your regular drive route is pockmarked with potholes. Pitching the car hard into a corner can tax the suspension to the maximum, but the car holds the road well, even if it sounds harsh doing it. The brakes on this car are quick to respond and strong.

In short, I love most everything about this car and hope Ralph Gilles and the Chrysler team can bring it to us mostly intact as a sporty Dodge small-car entry.

ART DIRECTOR CHERYL BLAHNIK: I had this for a day and I was excited to get in it because I don't make it out to Europe, and it's a car we don't get in the United States. That said, people notice that this car is something different. It received lots of looks and inquiries as to its origin. I even had a lady follow me into a bank parking lot and ask if this car was going to be in the States soon. She was by far the most excited person to talk about this car with me.

I really like the curved lines that make it look elegant and sporty. I sure hope Dodge can continue to keep that form and feel. As Gritz mentioned, the simple thinking of hiding the back door handles gives it just a nice touch of style and sophistication. The hatch visually works on this car, and yes, it does remind me of a VW from the back.

But I'm also not sold on the start/stop system. On several occasions I felt like I couldn't even take off smoothly from a stop and kept having to apologize to our intern for my horrible shifting ability. And there are the times when you want to pull out on to the road from a stop and join the traffic, but with this car I felt like I had to wait because I didn't want to start slowly and have people slam on their brakes because I couldn't get out there quick enough.

One thing I'm really curious about is the price that this would fetch as a Dodge. Once you get past the stop/start issue, it really was a fun car to drive around in. Put the car in the dynamic mode, and it was really fun. The interior had a streamlined feel. Did anyone else notice the constant creaking on the dash area? For a new car, I really find this unacceptable, regardless of price or manufacturer.

Honeywell Turbo Technologies provided AutoWeek this Giulietta for the purposes of evaluation and to demonstrate the turbocharged engine.

2011 ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA

ON SALE: Europe (not for U.S. sale)

PRICE: $34,000 (est)

DRIVETRAIN: 1.4-liter, 170-hp, 184-lb-ft turbocharged MultiAir four-cylinder; FWD, six-speed manual

CURB WEIGHT: 3,009 lb

0-62 MPH: 7.8 sec

FUEL ECONOMY: N/A

Greg Migliore
The 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta's 1.4-liter turbocharged MultiAir four makes 170 hp.

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