LA MOTOR SHOW: Stelvio to be Alfa's best-seller
Alfa Romeo's first SUV will also be its most popular model in Australia, with pre-orders already locked inUnlike its direct German rivals in the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the all-new Giulia mid-size sedan won't be Alfa Romeo's top-selling model in Australia.
That honour will go to the Italian brand's first SUV, the Stelvio, which arrives Down Under 12 months after the closely related Giulia, in early 2018.
Asked after its world debut at the Los Angeles motor show today whether the Stelvio would become Australia's favourite Alfa model, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia president and CEO Steve Zanlunghi said: "I would expect it to be, yes.
"It plays in the luxury D [mid-size] SUV segment, and that is the biggest and most popular class we will compete in."
Currently, following the discontinuation of the pint-size MiTo earlier this year, Alfa sells just two models in Australia – the 4C sports car and the recently facelifted Giulietta hatch.
To October this year the brand has sold just 632 vehicles here (down more than 55 per cent on 2015 numbers), including 564 Giuliettas – down 50 per cent.
Zanlunghi said "competitive" pricing for the Guilia, which has already attracted more than 100 local pre-orders, would be announced by the end of this year, ahead of first deliveries in January.
Australian pricing for the Stelvio, however, will not be revealed until closer to its launch more than a year away, by which time the local Alfa chief said he'd "see where our competitors are at".
The Stelvio's direct rivals will include the top-selling Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Porsche Macan and Jaguar F-PACE, all of which – except the Porsche – are priced from under $75,000.
However, so far Alfa has confirmed only turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder and 2.9-litre V6 petrol engines for the Stelvio, which would need a diesel engine to be competitive with its rivals in both Australia and Europe.
"I won't confirm or deny it [diesel power for the Stelvio]," said Zanlunghi.
"We'll look at all of the players in the segment to see if there's a market.
"It is too early to say just now. For product development and product line-up, we want to look to see where the volume potential is in the market, and that will determine the different variants we can bring in.
"All I can confirm is that the QV will be coming. Stay tuned for further updates," he said of the hard core Porsche-killing V6 flagship model.
At today's global reveal, Alfa claimed that every Stelvio model will be quicker than its direct German rival.
That includes the Stelvio Quadrifoglio or QV, which promises to not only set a new Nurburgring lap record for any SUV, but sprint to 60mph (97km/h) quicker than a Macan Turbo – in 3.9 seconds – thanks to its class-leading 375kW Ferrari-designed biturbo V6.
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