Alfa Romeo Giulietta farewelled with special-edition

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Edizione Finale has been released in Australia, marking a swansong limited-edition for the Italian car-maker’s long-running small hatchback.

Strictly limited to just 35 examples and available now, the final edition of the Giulietta is priced at $48,950 plus on-road costs – $6000 more than the most potent Veloce grade on which it’s based.

For the extra money, the Edizione Finale adds yellow (instead of red) brake callipers, yellow external trim inserts and carbonfibre-look elements for the grille, side skirts and mirror caps.

Other additions for the front-wheel drive hatch including an electric sunroof, dark miron 18-inch alloy wheels and a Magneti Marelli ‘Elaborazioni 1919’ sports exhaust system.

The yellow theme continues inside the cabin, where there’s a leather-clad steering wheel and floor mats finished with yellow stitching, plus yellow ‘Giulietta’ scripting for the latter. Meanwhile, the front seats gain heating and electric adjustment.

There will be three exterior colour options: Alfa White, Anodized Blue and Magnesium Grey Matte.

There are no mechanical changes, meaning power continues from Alfa’s 177kW/340Nm 1.75-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Standard equipment carried over from Veloce variants include bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights (DRLs), tinted windows, aluminium sports pedals and sports suspension.

Last updated in January 2020 with a Series 3 upgrade, the current Alfa Romeo Giulietta dates back a decade to 2010. Production ended in December last year after Alfa confirmed it would be axed in favour of new SUVs.

The first of them – the Alfa Romeo Tonale mid-size SUV – was due for launch this year but has been delayed to 2022.

Following the axing of the smaller Alfa Romeo MiTo hatch in 2018, the Giulietta’s demise leaves the Italian brand, which sold just 134 cars in the first quarter of this year (down 28% on Q1 2020), with only the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV.

The replacements for both those models will switch to an all-new electrified platform, following the merger between Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot Citroen under the Stellantis conglomerate and the subsequent elimination of their Giorgio platform.

Alfa Romeo Australia’s director of marketing communications, Tom Noble, said the special-edition is a fitting tribute for the Giulietta.

“The Edizione Finale celebrates the true Italian flair the Giulietta is renowned for, with sporty special edition updates that will make this a unique collector’s item for Alfa Romeo enthusiasts of those searching for a distinctive, rare vehicle,” he said.