Alfa Romeo Giulia Line Debuts at the New York Auto Show

Over-crowded segment?

All-new 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia and Giulia Ti mid-size sedans make their North American debut at the 2016 New York International Auto Show next week. The attempted line extension is trying to take the faded, forgotten brand beyond the 505 horsepower performance Giulia Quadrifoglio currently in production that appeared at the Los Angeles show last fall. To date this year, Alfa has sold 116 cars in the U.S., -19.4% compared to 2015 when the 4C sports car was a hot commodity.

The Germans – notably Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz – dominate the market. To a lesser degree Japanese brands – Acura, Infiniti and Lexus – also are active. Alfa and Jeep are the key elements in FCA’s planned global expansion. The Jeep line appears to be a relatively easy global play; Alfa is a much more difficult proposition.

Giulia and Giulia Ti models

Alfa Romeo Giulia and Giulia Ti (Turismo Internazionale) have an all-new, all-aluminum, 2.0-liter, direct-injection turbo engine with eight-speed automatic transmission – delivering a class-leading, standard 276 horsepower, class-exclusive carbon fiber driveshaft, dual exhaust system with bright tips, leather seating, 7-inch full-color driver information display (DID), an entertainment system with a 6.5-inch or 8.8-inch (industry-first) hidden widescreen display, adjustable suspension settings with Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency modes, a flat-bottom steering wheel with integrated push button start, along with keyless-go with passive entry and remote start.

Four Leaf Clover

The history of the Quadrifoglio dates back to the 1923 Targa Florio, one of the oldest and most famous racing events of all time – a dangerous open road endurance race held in the mountains of Sicily.

Leading up to the 1923 racing season, Ugo Sivocci – said to be incredibly superstitious – was a perennial second-place finisher, more often than not behind one of his Alfa teammates. That year at the Targa Florio race in an effort to banish his bad luck, Sivocci decided to paint a four-leaf clover on the side of his 1923 Targa Florio RL. Sivocci won.

However, a few weeks after the Targa Florio victory, Sivocci was testing a new Alfa car at the Monza racetrack. There had been no time to paint Sivocci’s good luck symbol on the car and he crashed and lost his life.