The head of Alfa Romeo, Fabrizio Curci, has admitted that engineering issues have delayed the launch of the Giulia “by just a few weeks” - but denied reports in Automotive News that a six-month delay was instigated because the all-new car failed to pass European front, side and rear crash tests.
Curci stressed: “Not one single screw is a carryover - this car is all new, and it is true that we wanted to launch this car with the right quality from the start, but that caused a delay of maybe some weeks, certainly not months.
Read our first drive of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio here
Read more about the Alfa Romeo Giulia
“There is no more to say than that. The car is ready, and it meets every requirement that has been set for it by the regulators and again internally by us.”
At the Geneva motor show, Alfa revealed the standard versions of the Giulia, which will sit below the previously revealed high-performance V6-powered Quadrifoglio model. The standard models will be powered by a 197bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol or a choice of two 2.2-litre diesels, with 178bhp and 148bhp.
All models will be rear-wheel drive as standard, but all-wheel drive will be available on some models. The Giulia will launch in the UK this winter, with prices expected to start at £26,000.
