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This is part of the ItalianCar.net archive - go to ItalianCar.net now NEWS ARCHIVE Alfa 159 to debut at Melbourne show
One of the most eagerly awaited cars of 2006, the Alfa 159, will make its Australian debut at the Melbourne motor show (9-19 February) providing the Italian car maker with an all new sports sedan to take over from the award-winning 156 model. Due to go on sale in Australia in the middle of 2006, the 159 is the first of a whole family of new Alfas cars that will arrive over the next two years and which include the much awaited Brera. The Melbourne show will also see the first motor show display of the 147 JTD, the first diesel Alfa to ever be sold in Australia, "This year will be the busiest for Alfa Romeo in Australia since the brand returned in 1998," says David Stone, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in Australia. "Replacing the Alfa 156, one of the most successful Alfa Romeos of all time, will be tough task, but 159 developed the unique style of the 156, added more features and performance and will offer versions that have not previously been available in Australia. It is ideally positioned, therefore, to exceed the sales performance of the Alfa 156 and find its own place in the record books." Born from Alfa's long, acknowledged experience in the production of sports saloons, the 159 is the result of innovative design and technology developed by an international team (including Australia) that - Alfa claim- has succeeded in combining performance and formerly irreconcilable targets - extremely entertaining driving, outstanding performance and distinctive styling - with outstanding levels of safety, comfort and build quality, without compromise. To achieve this, the 159 boasts a completely new chassis and new suspension, plus a new generation of engines and gearboxes.
The model has also just received the top five star rating from Euro-NCAP, the toughest independent crash test safety organization in the world. Alfa engineers have designed a specific new "premium" platform that adopts high performance materials, multiply sheet metal and laser welding. The architecture of the bodyshell also benefits from numerous measures such as the use of boxed elements that are connected rigidly both transversely and vertically, three load lines in the front, longitudinals that run the whole length of the car, built-in structures and a larger number of spot welds around structural nodes. The result is an excellent torsional rigidity of the bodyshell, the best in its segment at over 180,000 daNm/rad. The 159 comes with as many as eight airbags, including special bags to protect the knees and sidebags that extend all along the window area; restraint systems with pretensioners in the clasps and decreasing load limiters on the seat belts; and front seats with active head restraints that bring the head restraints nearer to the occupant's neck in the event of a rear impact. The model also scores strongly in active safety - avoiding the accident in the first place - thanks the road holding and handling provided by the new suspension, high double wishbones at the front and Multilink at the rear, and extremely precise steering which is the most direct of the standard saloons and with a small turning circle.
The 159 also features the slew of electronic systems now standard on many new Alfas - Vehicle Dynamic Control system (VDC), Anti Slip Regulation (ASR), Hydraulic Brake Assistance (HBA) that cuts in during emergency braking, ABS complete with EBD, and a Hill Holder to simplify hill starts. The five-star Euro NCAP rating acknowledges that the car has sailed through the most difficult tests simulating a variety accident types, such as head-on, side-on, overturning, rear impact and fire, it takes into account the various speeds at which impact may occur, the different types of obstacles, and the need to protect occupants with very different physical characteristics. © italiancar.com.au 16/01/06
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