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Saturday, June 11, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Alfa Romeo at the Paris Show: New Engine Options for Giulietta and Pretty Much Nothing Else
Unless Alfa Romeo has a very big surprise up its sleeves (which we certainly hope so given that the brand is celebrating its 100th birthday this year...), the only new models capable of capturing our attention at the Milanese firm's Paris Motor Show booth will be the usual 'female fatales' standing alongside their automobiles.
According to the company's press release, "the stars" of the Alfa Romeo stand will be the brand-new 140 HP 2.0 JTDM and the 170 HP 1.4 MultiAir turbo petrol with "Alfa TCT" automatic transmission versions of the Giulietta.
When equipped with the new 140-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo diesel, the Giulietta hatchback returns an average fuel consumption of just 4.5lt/10km (equal to 52.3mpg US) with corresponding CO2 emissions of 119g/km.
The second new product for the Giulietta range is the introduction of a dry twin clutch automatic transmission (TCT) combined with the 170 HP 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. The same transmission will also be offered with Alfa's 170HP 2.0-liter turbo diesel.
The brand-new Alfa TCT, which was first shown on the Mito supermini, is combined with start/stop tech that helps reduce CO2 emissions to 121g/km on the gasoline model.
On an even far less interesting note, Alfa Romeo will also show a couple of MiTo sport hatches and the 2011MY versions of the 159 sedan and Sportwagon (unveiled back in May), including one dressed in "Rosso Competizione" livery and equipped with the new 136-horsepower variant of the 2.0-liter JTDM diesel engine (Euro 5).
Alfa Romeo 159
The versions exhibited offer two new Euro 5 compliant engines which will be available from the beginning of April: the 1.75 liter 200 HP TBi engine and the 2.0 liter 170 HP JTDM engine. In detail, the Alfa Romeo 159 is fitted with the new 1.75 liter TBi engine (Euro 5) - maximum output 200 HP from 4750 to 5500 rpm and maximum torque of 320 Nm at 1400 rpm - giving it a maximum speed of 235 km/h and acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h in barely 7.7 seconds.
The powerful Alfa Romeo 159 sedan is offered in the TI sporting version, featuring lowered geometry, bigger tires, 19 inch alloy rims, miniskirts and large aluminum brakes with red calipers. So, a very determined-looking car with a decidedly "ground-hugging" look. Inside, the TI environment is recognizable from the shaped sports seats in perforated leather with the Alfa Romeo logo stitched in red, plus the steering wheel with sports grip and the gear knob covered in leather with red stitching.
The internal coverings are black and the insignia are in "brushed dark aluminum". The same impression of sportiness appears in the instrument panel graphics, the pedals and the aluminum scuff plate with TI logo.
The public can admire an Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon equipped with the new 2.0 liter 170 HP JTDM engine (Euro 5). With this engine, the car can reach 216 km/h and takes 9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h. The version displayed at Geneva is a Sport which is differentiated from the outside by the exclusive 18 inch alloy rims with the new "Turbine" design.
The inside, the eye is caught by the sports steering wheel with radio commands, the gear knob covered in leather with black stitching and the new sports seats covered in leather. Giving a further impression of sportiness, the head lining, the parcel shelf and the pillar fairings are black, while the badges are in "brushed aluminum" and the instrument panel employs "sporty" graphics.
The equipment (standard and optional) offered on this car is very high-spec: triple-zone climate control, Cruise Control, VDC system (with Electronic Q2), Bose Hi-Fi system, GPS system (with telephone and voice commands), and Visibility Pack (rain, mist and twilight sensors).
Pininfarina 2uettottanta - Alfa Romeo Spider
Alfa Romeo Spider FrontTo prototype for the Alfa Romeo, 2uettottanta presented design house Pininfarina o Geneva. Wanting to show the future of Alfa Romeo Spider is the original length of 4.2 meters and has written for 80sta birthday group. Large hood, attractive design, compact rear, two doors, large wheels are the elements that make a successful roadster, the original data appear to have with the above. Under the hood is installed turbo 1750cc engine which we've already met the new 159 and the retro design blends harmoniously with modern elements such as light fixtures tech LED. Formal, Live photos and press release below.
Alfa Romeo Spider Side
Alfa Romeo Spider Turing
Alfa Romeo Spider Back
Alfa Romeo Spider Up and InteriorThursday, June 9, 2011
What Were They Thinking? When Alfa Romeo Rebadged a Nissan to Create the Arna
When the Nissan Versa was launched in Australia as the Tiida, many automotive watchers were excited by the prospect of blending Renault’s European flair with Nissan’s Japanese reliability. “Here,” they said, “Is a car that’ll please everyone.”
What they got was a narrow-bodied subcompact with so-so styling, a plasticy dashboard, a shocking lack of equipment and an overinflated price tag. Not to mention Kim Cattrall in the TV spots. If this sounds strangely familiar to our older readers, you’re right on the money. Twenty-three years before the crossbred Tiida hit Australian shores, another mongrel was being birthed in Europe.
It was 1983, and Alfa Romeo had just launched the Arna, an acronym for “Alfa Romeo Nissan Autoveicoli”. The Arna was essentially a N12 series Nissan Pulsar / Cherry with the engine, transmission and front suspension from Alfa’s popular if rust-prone Alfasud. Built in Alfa’s new Pratola Serra factory near Naples, the Arna had the mechanical reliability of the Alfasud and all the style and grace of the Cherry.
In other words, it was a dog.
Although it was available with either of Alfa’s 1.2L or 1.5L flat-four boxer engines, the fact remains that it was a dull Japanese hatchback built by the same uncaring, unionized Italian labour force that had built the Alfasud. In one final irony, the Arna was deported exported to Japan as the Nissan Pulsar Milano, probably giving the Japanese peoples their first (and last) taste of ‘80s Italian engineering.
The Arna died a quiet death in 1987, replaced with the Pininfarina-designed Alfa Romeo 33. The 33 was by no means a great car, though after the Arna, many Alfaistas would have welcomed an yearly rail pass with open arms. Nissan continued to sell the Cherry / Pulsar in Europe, though never met great success in Europe’s highly competitive subcompact car market until the launch of the K11 Micra in 1992. For both manufacturers, the Arna was a miserable failure, remembered only by auto watchers such as yours truly.
Daihatsu, Alfa Romeo and Mercedes Top Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study in Germany
For the first time since the launch of the study in 2002, Daihatsu has claimed the top spot in J.D. Power and Associates' redesigned 2009 Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS) in Germany with a total score of 843 on a 1,000-point scale. The Japanese brand was followed by Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz that tied in second place with 835 points, BMW was third with 834 points and Audi and Toyota that tied in fifth place with 831 points.
On the other side of the scale, Ford (796 points), Opel, Kia and Peugeot that tied with 790 points, Fiat (778 points), Chevrolet (775 points) and Smart (772 points) occupied the last five places in J.D. Power's 2009 German vehicle ownership satisfaction study. The industry average is 814 points.
Model-wise, Daihatsu's Sirion captured the top rank position in the small car category while Toyota received awards for the Aygo city car and the Corolla lower medium car. In the upper medium segment, Renault's Laguna finished first while Mercedes-Benz topped the executive / luxury and sports car segments with the E-Class and CLK Class models respectively.
Also receiving segment-level awards are the Skoda Roomster in the MPV group and the Nissan Qashqai in the SUV category.
J.D. Power and Associates' finding are based on 16,200 online interviews with German vehicle owners after an average of two years of ownership. According to the firm, German owners are asked to provide detailed evaluations on their cars and dealers covering 67 attributes grouped in four measurements of satisfaction including: vehicle appeal (32%) which covers performance, design, comfort and features; vehicle quality and reliability (26%); ownership costs (22%) including fuel consumption, insurance and costs of service/repair; and dealer service satisfaction (20%).
Alfa Romeo Milano Fully Revealed in Factory Photos!
That sound you hear are the cracks forming on the walls of Alfa Romeo's assembly plant in Italy as believe it or not, someone managed to leave the factory with what appear to be mobile phone photos of the all-new Milano. The surprisingly revealing gallery, which comes only a day after an initial leak on Friday, made its way on a Facebook group page exposing the Italian compact hatchback from several angles and even gives us our first view of the dashboard and center console.
To a lesser extent than the smaller MiTo, the five-door Milano has an all-new body design with styling cues that refer directly to the Alfa 8C Competizione. These include the oval-shaped headlamps and arrow-like bonnet lines that end with the deep Alfa shield grille, but not the round tail lamps as the Italian designers opted for a totally different design at the back.
Like the 147 hatchback that it will replace, the Milano's rear door handles are hidden in the door pillars for a smoother look that gives the illusion from a distance that this is a sportier three-door hatch.
The interior shots reveal that the Milano will feature a sporty instrument panel with two deeply set gauges at either side, a design trait seen in most modern Alfas including the MiTo and the 159.
Styling aside, the Milano uses the latest version of the Fiat Group's C- and D-segment platform which is known internally as the C-Evo. It is not clear yet if the Milano will hit the European market before the end of the year or in the beginning of 2010, but when it does, Alfa's BMW 1-Series rival is expected to be initially offered with 1.4-liter and 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines producing up to 200HP+, as well as with the usual turbo diesel line up.
Photos via: Facebook
Alfa Romeo Milano Exposed on the Assembly Line!
So much for Alfa Romeo's attempts keep the prototype models of the forthcoming Milano hatchback under cover. Our fellow Italian bloggers at Autoblog.it have published a photograph of the 147's replacement that was apparently shot at the assembly line, exposing the Milano's snout for the first time. As anticipated, the Milano's front-end styling takes cues from both the MiTo and the 8C Competizione, with the photo revealing that some versions will get a set of daytime running lights comprising a strip of LEDs on each side of the headlamps.
Similar in size to the Volkswagen Golf, the Alfa Romeo Milano is the Fiat Group's proposal in the premium compact hatchback segment aimed squarely at the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3.
Underneath the sheetmetal lies the latest version of the Fiat Group's C- and D-segment platform which is known as the C-Evo. Powertrain options for the Milano are expected to include 1.4-liter and 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines producing up to 200HP+ and of course, numerous four-pot diesel engines.
For more info on the Milano, click here to read our previous post that includes spy shots from the 'Ring.
Via: Autoblog.it
