According to rumours, the new design manager of Alfa Romeo could be Juan Manuel Diaz, who is the hand behind the new MiTo design and who is currently working in the Advanced Design Fiat department. The reports say that Diaz would have been in the position since Monday, substituting Christopher Reitz.

Diaz completed a design course at Italy’s IED institute and first worked for Renault. From there he completed a few months at Pininfarina, before moving to Alfa Romeo. The appointment could be the next step in the brand realignment taking place in Fiat, with Harald Wester now the head of a new kind of sports family, which includes Abarth, Maserati and Alfa Romeo.

Source | Argentina Autoblog via Autoblog.it

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The Italians are impatient to see what the next Abarth Punto Evo will look like, perhaps something like the rendering above or the Abarth Grande Punto after the jump. It is only a question of when the new Abarth Punto will be presented, as Sergio Marchionne has already confirmed the Abarth models for 2010: the Punto Evo, the 500C and perhaps even a 500 TC.

The Abarth Punto Evo is sure to have the new Multiair engine with 170 hp, meaning in the future the EsseEsse model will have 200 hp. The 500 TC stands for “Turismo Competizione” and was originally the name given to race cars based on street-legal models.

The big question is why Abarth should focus on just two models and get extreme handling out of the A and B segments represented by the Fiat 500 and Fiat Punto Evo. Frustrated with these tuned versions and lack of style, some Italians are asking where Alfa Romeo is in all this. Alfa represents a true, stylish sports brand with plenty of pedigree, and the Italians want to know why Abarth should be the only brand representing Fiat in the world of racing.

Perhaps Sergio Marchionne knows something we don’t about Alfa Romeo and its future, or perhaps we should wait a little longer and see what comes out of the Alfa-Abarth-Maserati mix. Whatever the case, there’s more than one Fiat/Alfa Romeo fan peeved that the 500 and Punto get the tuned treatment when money could be invested seriously in Alfa Romeo sports style, too. As one comment on Autoblog.it reads: “You can’t ever be a passionate fan of cars until you’ve got yourself an Alfa Romeo.”

Source | Autoblog.it and Caradisiac via Autoblog.com

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The Alfa Romeo Mito gets a smooth new colour in “Maserati Blue Ocean” for the set of Mito courtesy cars to Maserati. 100 of the cars will be exclusively produced and the limited edition Alfa MiTo will be equipped with the 1.4-litre TB Multiair engine with 170 hp.

The interior gets a revision, too, with Frau leather seats, aluminium pedals, twin-zone air con, radio navigator unit, and Blue&Me system with USB. External features include bi-xenon lights, 18-inch wheels, rear sports spoiler and bumper and Dynamic Suspension electronic control.

The Alfa MiTo courtesy car project is the first product of the new brand integration plan of Alfa Romeo and Maserati, under the guidance of new manager, Harald Wester. The project follows the 500 units produced of the Fiat 500 “Rosso Corsa” edition as a courtesy car to Ferrari.

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These spy shots of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta would seem to confirm the style of the interior, which we have seen from other shots collected from the internet. Official pics of the Alfa Giulietta were already released some time back, but testing is still continuing with slight camouflage, before the unveiling at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

These are turbulent times for Alfa Romeo and a lot rests on the Giulietta being a success for the brand in the midst of a review. The Alfa Giulietta interior had been planned, but among the rather chaotic release of the first pics, the official interior became unofficial as Alfa planned to modify it and block the official photos being released, apparently on specific request of Sergio Marchionne.

The Giulietta interior is quite similar to those unofficial first pics, with some modifications being made to the central compartment of the dash. In the place of the integrated radio in the same colour as the rest of the interior, we now see a standard space that looks set to accommodate an audio system based on customer choice. Or, we could also be looking at an entry-level Giulietta where the space originally dedicated to the navigation unit has been converted into a storage spot. Other aspects of the interior, including the shape of the air conditioning vents, the steering wheel and the gear level now seem confirmed.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta spy shots

Continue reading: Alfa Romeo Giulietta spy pics interior

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The Alfa Giulietta could be the car that saves Alfa Romeo in the eyes of CEO Sergio Marchionne, unimpressed by the performance of the brand. And it’s nothing less than we’d expect from sensual Alfa design, and this fast cut video shows it from all angles. Try to ignore the subtitles, or you’ll miss the look of the car (fabulous in white).

Debuting at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the Alfa Giulietta will have a turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine with 120 hp, though the more exciting 1.4 Multiair will also be available from the launch date, with 170 hp. There will be a 1.6-litre JTDM with 105 hp and a 2.0 JDTM with 170 hp. For those wanting the full Alfa power job, a Quadrifoglio Verde version should also be produced, with 235 hp.

Continue reading: Alfa Romeo Giulietta video

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We saw the Alfa Romeo MiTo “Nine” video over on Blogdolcevita.com and here is some more information on the MiTo Nine package courtesy of our colleagues at Autoblog.it. The package is named after the upcoming movie musical from Rob Marshall, based on the Federico Fellini film, 8 1/2.

The “Nine” package is available for all versions of the MiTo, except the Quadrifoglio Verde equipped with the 1.4-litre TB MultiAir engine with 170 hp. The Nine kit on the “Progression” range offers “Elegante” 16-inch alloy wheels, black tint roof and brushed finish for door handles, mirrors, and headlight frames - at a cost of about 1,400 euros.

For the “Distinctive” range of the MiTo, the special kit includes 17-inch wheels, leather seats, lumbar back adjustment in the rear passenger seats, and the same black roof and brushed satin finish. The cost on this range is 1,700 euros. Check out the MiTo product placement if you’re going to see the film, and see the “Nine” with the Alfa MiTo preview video on Blogdolcevita.

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2010 will be an exciting year for Alfa Romeo with the new Alfa Giulietta being released. These pics come from the official Giulietta website and show the Rosso Competizione red colour, although we still don’t have a full view shot which is very frustrating if you’re an Alfa fan!

The Giulietta 1750TBi engine option, with Quadrifoglio Verde is available from the debut, as part of an impressive engine line-up, which includes the 1.4-litre 120 hp and 165 hp (the latter is MultiAir). Diesel options available include the 1.6-litre with 105 hp and the 2.0-litre with 170 hp.

Continue reading: More Alfa Giulietta pics

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The new Alfa Giulietta, renamed from the Alfa Milano, is not only a replacement to the Alfa 147, but also represents another chapter in the history of Alfa Romeo and its use of this name. The Alfa Giulietta was a much loved car after the second world war, first appearing in 1955 at the Turin motor show. The name comes from the Shakespearean tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, and was an early attempt at a strong brand image for Alfa.

The first Alfa Giulietta was a sporty family sedan, four metres long and with a spacious interior. It had a four cylinder, 1.3 litre engine with 50 hp, and the four speed transmission helped it reach a top speed of 136 km/hr. In 1957 the range had a new entry with the Giulietta TI, presented at the Monza circuit. Power was increased to 65 hp with a top speed of 155 km/hr, and it was used for mountain and endurance races.

In 1959 the Alfa Giulietta had its first restyling, and 91 special units were also built for the highway patrol police. The next Giulietta with family style body kit was a successful model, with more than 100,000 units produced by 1961. The third generation appeared soon after, and the special Giulietta TI version had a power increase to 74 hp and the top speed reached 160 km/hr.

Continue reading: Alfa Giulietta: an Italian story

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The new Alfa Giulietta has been released and first impressions from the world’s press are starting to come through. We’ve gathered some of those impressions in one place so we can check out just what the Giulietta promises and whether it might deliver.

As is the fate of many an Alfa Romeo, the focus is on style - how good does it look? I don’t know whether that means there’s nothing special to bother about under the bonnet, or whether the presence of the best Fiat technology is taken for granted. To be fair, the new Giulietta will get Fiat’s Multiair engines, Alfa DNA and dual-clutch transmission so it’s no slack on the technology front. And it will have between 120 and 170 hp, before the Quadrifoglio Verde version turns up with 230 hp.

So far, the new Giulietta is a very nice looking car. Yesterday I said I appreciated the sloping, elegant rear and overall there is plenty of classic Alfa sports style. It’s managed to keep its Alfa Romeo class without falling into mediocrity or appearing like just another, bigger 147. Given the brand image and style of Alfa, I also think it stands apart from other offerings in the Fiat Group range.

Continue reading: Alfa Giulietta first impressions: lining up the Giulietta competitors

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Here are official pics of the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta, with the name change from Milano confirmed, and launch date set for the 2010 Geneva motor show. It’s a sexy looking hatchback and the rear is definitely pleasing - shapely and elegant compare to the cute, cartoon-like Alfa MiTo.

If you want to read about the name change, see the press release after the jump. I must say, the Alfa Romeo marketing department has done a good job in attaching meaning to the last minute switch to Alfa Giulietta from Alfa Milano.

All the details are below, but the main details prove that the 147 replacement has been revised significantly. The Alfa Giulietta is bigger, at 4.35 metres long with a wheel base of 2.63 metres, and a sizeable boot at 350 litres. The Giulietta will have four turbo engine options available at launch with two petrol motors: 1.4 TB with 120 hp, and the 1.4 TB Multiair with 170 hp. The two diesel options available will be the 1.6 JTDM with 105 hp, and the 2.0 JTDM with 170 hp, both second generation options. At the top of the range is the 1750 TBi with 235 hp and Quadrifoglio Verde kit.

The new Alfa Giulietta will get its official world premiere at the Geneva show, ready for a spring release in Europe. It could prove an even more important model than the previous MiTo, competing with everything from the new Opel Astra to the Audi A3, depending on its pricing. Check out all the details after the jump.

Alfa Giulietta first official pics

Continue reading: Alfa Giulietta released: official pics and launch date for Geneva

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