Geneva Preview: Alfa Romeo Giulietta

It's beginning to look like Alfa fans in the US can finally stop their incessant whining. Myself being an unsatisfied US Alfa coveter, I've really been getting tired of waiting for Alfa Romeo to return to US shores again.  It was supposed to be 2007.  Then 2009.  Now, who knows?  But thanks to Fiat's recent tie-in with failing US automaker Chrysler, the prospects of seeing Alfas on US roads - and soon - are pretty strong.

And when the wave of Alfas start shipping over, this'll be the first thing off the boat: the new Giulietta.  It's the replacement for the archaic 147 hatchback, and it's been designed with a wider market in mind than it's predecessor.

It was originally going to be named Milano, but due to Alfa closing down and moving out of their Milan plant, that was deemed to be a bit...  inconsiderate.  So Alfa reached into the past-names bin and pulled out an old favorite.  The Giulietta will slot in Alfa's lineup between the tiny, adorable MiTo and the replacement for the larger 159 sedan, which is rumored to be called Giulia.

The Giulietta shares it's  chassis with the Fiat Bravo, meaning that it's going to be approximately VW Golf-sized.  However, with Fiat already pushing many versions of the Bravo, the Alfa Romeo will be aimed more at the Audi A3, Volvo C30, and BMW 1-series.  At launch, there will be four engine choices - two petrol and two gas.  There will be two 1.4L turbocharged gas motors, one with 120bhp and an advanced MultiAir option with 170bhp.  Diesel choices include a 1.6 JTDM (105bhp) and a 2.0 JTDM (170bhp.)

More interesting will be the delayed-release Quadrifoglio Verde model, which boasts 235bhp from it's 1.8L Turbo MultiAir engine.  All engines comes standard with Start&Stop which shuts the engine off at a standstill to save gas and reduce emissions.  Other techy acronyms include Alfa's mood-changing DNA system (as seen on the MiTo), their trick Q2 limited slip differential, and VDC stability control.

Although the details are still pretty sparse at this point, it looks like the Giulietta is shaping up to be a serious competitor in the luxury compact market, especially with that traditionally gorgeous Alfa Romeo styling and a sumptuosly trimmed interior.  You'll have to wait until the Geneva show in March for more details, and let's keep our fingers crossed that we can buy one of these puppies at a Chrysler dealer in the US some time soon!