Alfa renaissance starts with 4C

Alfa Romeo will officially launch its all-new 4C Coupe in Australia tomorrow, marking the introduction of a model that acts not only as a halo flagship for the iconic Italian brand but also a statement declaring it recognises past sins and has gone back to its roots.

That’s the view of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia chief Pat Dougherty, who has the job of rebooting Alfa Romeo in Australia, a process signalled by this week's arrival of the carbon-fibre chassis, mid-engine pocket-rocket.

Joining the Mito and Giulietta as just the third model in Alfa's Australian range, the 4C goes on sale in Australia with a recommended retail price (before on-road costs) of $89,000, although the first 75 cars to arrive in the country are Launch Edition versions priced $20,000 higher at $109,000 plus ORCs.

We’ve covered the equipment basics of the 177kW/350Nm two-door here and the fact the Australian-specification 4C climbs significantly in weight compared to its European relation.

We also drove the 4C in Italy almost a year ago and will publish our first Australian drive review and video tomorrow morning. The radical new compact coupe will be followed by a Spider version in local showrooms by the end of this year.

Dougherty has no hesitation admitting Alfa veered off the rails from its glorious heritage of motor racing success and performance road cars, saying models like the Mito mini (although he doesn’t specifically name it), which is based on the Fiat Punto’s front-wheel architecture, have damaged the brand.

The Mito is set to disappear as part of a dramatic overhaul and upgrading of the Alfa range that really gets underway in Australia next year, when the all-new 'Giulia' mid-size sedan will take direct aim at the BMW 3 Series.

“Alfa had aspirations to become a bigger brand and as they did that they kind of lost their way a little bit,” Dougherty admitted at the 4C launch in Sydney last weekend. “And they had a series of fits and starts where they were producing vehicles that really weren’t representative of what the brand stood for.

“They did something that all manufacturers have tried and done and failed at before, which is take a less expensive body and put a top hat on it and call it whatever.

“So those never worked; Alfa did that with a couple of vehicles that it didn’t play well with.

“So when we get to 4C we are saying ‘OK, we are going back to the roots, we are going back to the start with something that is a performance vehicle that really is for the brand enthusiasts, all the people that hung with us and all the people who want to see us get back to where we really belong.”

Dougherty revealed FCA Australia had requested 400 4Cs out of a total 2015 production of 2000 — 1300 of which are Launch Editions: “We were never going to get that,” he laughed.

In fact, so tight was the supply that Dougherty’s Asia-Pacific boss Mike Manley initially refused permission to hive off two 4C LEs for the Australian press launch.

While that obstacle was overcome, FCA Australia still has no idea whether it we will lever any more than its initial 75-car delivery out of Italy this year.

“It’s a moving target. On Monday they produce 20, on Tuesday they produce 10,” Dougherty explained. “We certainly have more demand than supply.”

The revised Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV (Quadrifoglio Verde) hot hatch was also rolled out in Sydney last weekend, fitted for the first time in Australia with the same 177kW 1.75-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and six-speed TCT (dual-clutch) transmission as the 4C (except maximum torque drops 10Nm to 340Nm).

This new version costs $42,000, a $3000 price rise over the $39,000 manual, which continues with a 173kW version of the engine. You can read the pricing and equipment story here and our first drive here.

Alfa has now also confirmed details of a $45,000 QV TCT Launch Edition, which adds carbon-fibre mirror covers, a carbon-fibre rear spoiler and a sports body kit to the standard equipment list. The allocation consists of 25 units in Alfa Red and 25 units in Launch Edition-exclusive Matte Magnesio Grey.

Dougherty was trying to sell the message in Sydney that the addition of the Giulietta QV TCT was an example of the new thinking at Alfa Romeo, especially as it completes an upgraded ‘Series One’ range that has dropped the entry-level models from the small car range.

“There is a big audience there we haven’t been capturing and we are going to go back after some of those folks because I don’t think we were interesting to them. It is fun to drive,” he said.

But the reality is the front-wheel drive Giulietta has only a couple of years to live — at the most — before its rear-wheel drive replacement arrives.