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Alfa 159 and Brera to appear at Brisbane motor show

159

The new Alfa 159 and Brera will be at the Brisbane Motor Show (3-12 March 2006) prior to their Australian launch later this year, along with the first diesel Alfa in Australia - the Alfa 147 JTD.

"The Alfa Romeo display at the Brisbane International Motor Show will provide further proof of the depth and breadth of Alfa Romeo design, styling and technology expertise," says David Stone, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in Australia. "On one hand there will be the supreme styling of the Brera and 159, supported by technology than will ensure they perform as well as they look. On the other hand there is the unique blend of performance and economy provided by the new Alfa Romeo 147 JTD, fitted with one of the most advanced turbo diesel engines in the world and housed in another Alfa Romeo acclaimed for its styling and beauty."

Due to go on sale in Australia in the middle of 2006, the Alfa Romeo 159 is the first of a whole family of new Alfa Romeo cars that will arrive over the next two years and which includes the acclaimed Alfa Romeo Brera. The Alfa Romeo 147 JTD is the first diesel Alfa Romeo to be offered in Australia and is the forerunner of a diesel push by Alfa that will see most models in the range offer a diesel variant within the next two years. Also featured on the Alfa Romeo stand at the Brisbane Motor Show will be the Alfa Romeo 147 Ti, a new sporting variant of the 147.

"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."

For more information on the new 159 check the ItalianCar FACTfile.

Brera

THE ALFA BRERA "The Alfa Romeo Brera is the very definition of automotive sex appeal,' says David Stone, General Manager of Alfa Romeo in Australia. "From its sensuous lines, that are both lithe and powerful, to the tactile and visual appeal of its leather-lined interior and even the suggestive burble of its powerful all-new high performance engines, the Alfa Romeo Brera has filled everyone who has seen it with a singular desire to get behind the wheel. The Brera was designed to provide extreme arousal and we expect the Brera-effect to be no different in Australia!"

Revealed first as a show car in 2003, penned by the world's master car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, the man named as the "Car Designer of Century", he said of his newest creation that it was "not a repetition, but a bud that will flower". The Brisbane International Motor Show will see living proof of his promise.

The original show car had praise heaped on it, including: the 'Best of Show', awarded by the magazine Autoweek at the Geneva Motor Show; 'Best of Show' in the Prototype category at the Europe's leading classic and performance car event, the Villa d'Este Concours d'Elégance; two prizes for its category at the Bibendum Challenge 2002, including one as 'one of the most car elegant in the world'; and the title of 'the most fascinating car' at the Super Car Rally 2002.

With such universal praise for the original show car, turning it from dream to reality was not going to be an easy task. Giorgetto Giugiaro has worked closely with the Alfa Romeo Styling Centre to ensure that the translation has been true and accurate, so that details, such as the rear window that recalls the Giulietta Sprint, remain authentic, as well as ensuring that the Brera offers real driving depth to match its breathtaking looks. The generous proportions - it is 1,830 mm wide, 4,413 mm long and 1,372 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,525 millimetres - are masked by assertive styling that enables the Brera to offer a spacious and versatile interior in a compact, uncompromising and aggressive coupe body.

The engine is the heart and soul of every Alfa Romeo and reveals the real strength of spirit vested in all Alfa Romeos.

The full Brera range - the Australian specification is yet to be revealed - offers a choice of two JTS petrol engines (2.2 delivering 140 kW and 3.2 V6 delivering 195 kW) and a 2.4 JTD turbodiesel that delivers 150 kW combined with two different gearboxes depending on the version: 6-speed mechanical or automatic. In other words, this is a car capable of exciting performance, but is also ideal for everyday use.

"The Alfa Romeo Brera promises to be breathtaking in every sense of the word," explains David Stone. "But while its looks, its performance and the effect it has on people will all be breathtaking, there is one thing about the Brera that won't be breathtaking: The price list. Yes, there will be a few sharp intakes of breath when we reveal the price, but they will come with the realization that this extraordinary car is actually an affordable dream and that, perhaps, is the most extraordinary thing of all about the Alfa Romeo Brera!"

147 JTD

THE ALFA 147 JTD - a turbo diesel version of the award-winning 147 model.

"The great news is the 147 JTD uses little more than half the fuel of the already frugal 147 Twin Spark, but the real surprise is that it is also quicker," says David Stone, General Manager of Alfa Romeo in Australia. "This remarkable engine doesn't just have more torque than the 2.0 petrol 147; it has more toque than the most powerful Alfa Romeo engine, the 3.2 litre V6 in the GTA and that means storming performance and remarkable get up and go in every gear."

The fact that the 147 JTD offers such a useful blend of performance and economy is no surprise in Europe. Diesel versions of Alfa's range of stylish sedans, coupes and Sportwagons account for 76 per cent of sales. Indeed, in the most stylish model, the GT, diesels account for more then 80 per cent of sales and it's the same engine that is now available in Australia in the Alfa 147.

"Fuel may be expensive in Europe, at prices most Australians couldn't imagine, but that's not enough to force Alfa Romeo owners to abandon performance and style," says Mr Stone. "What is driving these figures is the all-round ability of this latest generation of diesel powered cars. Using the second generation of the Fiat-developed common rail direct injection diesel technology, the JTD M-Jet engines offer similar power to petrol engines of the same capacity and considerably more torque, while also offering remarkable fuel economy."

"Alfa Romeo 147 JTD owners really can have their cake and eat it," says David Stone. "On one hand they have economy and emissions that can put to shame most basic economy cars, while on the other there is sports car performance. All of this is then wrapped up in a car that oozes style and charisma. The cream on the cake is that it is also lavishly equipped and comes at a price that only Alfa Romeo can offer. With this combination, the question has to be asked, how long before diesel dominates Australian Alfa sales, as it does in Europe?"

The RRP of the 147JTD is $39,990 - a premium on the standard 147 on the basis that you're getting the same performance (+ a 6 speed gearbox) at a lot lower fuel consumption.

For more information on the 147 range, including the JTD check the ItalianCar FACTfile. Also look out for the forthcoming ItalianCar test drive.

© italiancar.com.au 23/02/06