Alfa Romeo may well revive the Giulia name for the successor to the 159, according to rumours circulating in the press. While there have been conflicting reports regarding which chassis the car will use, sources speculate Alfa is developing a suitable rear wheel drive chassis with the help of the sister company Maserati, however it is much more likely that the new Alfa Giulia will be based on a modified version of the Lancia Delta / Fiat Bravo platform. Like the 159, the new Giulia may well be offered in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions.
Rumours about Alfa sticking with only front-wheel-drive layouts seem largely unfounded though. In October, Renzo Barbirato, Alfa Romeo’s marketing manager, stated the entry-level MiTo and the 149 will be the only Alfa Romeo models that will not make the switch to rear-wheel drive in the coming years. We’ve only seen Alfa Romeo’s shapely Giulietta in the flesh, but the automaker is expected to launch a bigger sibling -- the Giulia -- later this year.
6th April 2010
According to Car, the new Giulia, which will replace the 159 range and will use a highly modified Fiat C-Evo platform. This is used in the smaller Giulietta which has just been released, the wheelbase will grow in length and width to make the Giulia a true D-segment saloon. Expect the car to utilize the same suspension arrangement (i.e. MacPherson struts in front, two-link setup in back) as the Giulietta.
Presently, C-Evo is a front-wheel-drive, but the chassis was designed to accommodate all-wheel-drive and may even have a rear wheel drive option. Such a configuration may well come in handy for a few high-performance variants said to be under consideration. A Giulia GTA, which has reportedly been approved for production, mixes all-wheel-drive with a 300-horsepower, 3.0-liter V-6, and a seven-speed dual-clutch paddle shift gearbox and if that is not enough for you a 350-horsepower, two-wheel-drive model is also reportedly under development but I will only believe that when I can drive it, and it may serve as a homologation special for a new race series with any luck.
Like the 159, the Giulia will be offered as both a saloon and a sportwagon, and Alfa Romeo hopes to sell roughly 100,000 units a year. which is quite a jump from the company's present sales of only 103,000 cars last year. We’ve only just seen Alfa Romeo’s Giulietta in the flesh, but Alfa Romeo is expected to launch the Giulia later this year but more probably spring next year.