MY21 Alfa Romeo Giulia range released

Alfa Romeo Australia has confirmed pricing and specification for its MY21 Alfa Romeo Giulia sports sedan line-up.

The Italian brand’s updated Giulia range dovetails with strategy it adopted with the MY21 Alfa Romeo Stelvio mid-size SUV save for the absence of an order-only entry-level price-leading model.

The local MY21 Alfa Romeo Giulia range will again comprise Sport, Veloce and Quadrifoglio variants. In addition, a very limited number of uber-expensive hand-built Giulia GTA/GTAm super-sedans will find their way into local Alfisti garages.

Alfa Romeo Australia’s head of product and marketing, Andre Scott, told carsales the size and opportunity afforded the brand in the mid-size luxury sedan segment didn’t warrant the additional Stelvio-style order-only entry-level model.

“We feel the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sport is a strong enough offer to engage local buyers – especially when we look at the price and positioning of the competitive set. Giulia sells into a much small segment than Stelvio,” Scott stated.

The starting price for the turbocharged 147kW/330Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol-powered Alfa Romeo Giulia Sport is $63,950 plus on-road costs. Standard equipment levels are closely aligned to the MY21 Stelvio range – see below for details.

Significant local unsold MY18/19 model Stelvio stocks needed to be cleared before the changes introduced in Europe and the UK were rolled out as MY21 models Down Under.

In contrast to Stelvio, Alfa Romeo Australia introduced a number of running changes to the four-door in late 2020. The MY21 updates are therefore focused largely on the Veloce and Quadrifoglio trim levels.

Scott says that, as with Stelvio, the Veloce ($71,450 plus ORCs) will be the volume variant for the updated Giulia range.

“The core introductions of the changes to cabin and tech and the like were delivered to the Giulia Sport model in late 2020. The spotlight here is on Veloce. Based on the cabin, content, power output and the drive characteristics, we’re comfortable that it will be a sweet spot,” he told carsales.

The MY21 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce continues to come with a 206kW/400Nm-output version of Alfa’s 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four, plus higher-spec suspension and a limited-slip differential. There’s also a subtle body kit and interior and exterior trim upgrades.

Performance and efficiency stats for all three full-time Giulia variants remain unchanged, with the Sport claimed to hit 100km/h in 6.6 seconds, offer a top speed of 230km/h and consume 6.0L/100km. The Veloce revises those figures to 5.7sec, 240km/h and 6.1L/100km, and the 375kW/600Nm 2.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V6-powered Quadrifoglio to 3.9sec, 307km/h and 8.2L/100km.

According to Scott the competitive pricing and outputs of the high-performance Quadrifoglio ($138,950 plus ORCs) will be attractive to buyers.

“We put a case to the factory that was reflective of a price and performance advantage over key competitors. We’re very comfortable with Q’s place in the mix,” he said.

Scott stated the availability of Giulia vehicles in stock – something Alfa Romeo is promoting on its website – will be a factor that dealers will capitalise upon. The same goes for Stelvio.

“It’s [stock availability] not normally something you’d hang your hat on, but in this environment, it’s actually a great talking point. We can talk with confidence of that stock availability – we have line of sight of it,” Scott added.

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V6
Output: 375kW/600Nm
Alfa DNA Pro
Alfa Active Suspension
Alfa Torque Vectoring System
Monza exhaust with quad outlets
19-inch QV forged alloy wheels
Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres
QV leather-clad steering wheel with red starter button
Leather and Alcantara upholstered seats
Carbon-fibre interior trim
Harman Kardon Premium Audio
Dual-zone climate control
Carbon-fibre bonnet, roof and rear spoiler
Carbon-fibre side skirts, rear spoiler and bonnet
QV door sill scuff plates with aluminium insert

How much does the 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia cost?
Giulia Sport – $63,950
Giulia Veloce – $71,450
Giulia Quadrifoglio – $138,950
Giulia GTA/GTAm – $268,000/$288,000

* Prices exclude on-road costs