2010 Alfa Romeo Giulietta To Debut At The Geneva Motor Show

Bound for next year's Geneva Motor Show is the 2010 Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the replacement for the aging 147 hatchback. The five-door-only Giulietta hatchback will be positioned against mid-size hatchback rivals such as Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus, and also mid-size sedan alternatives such as Honda Civic, Nissan Sylphy and many others from Japanese makes.

Three turbocharged engine options are expected, starting with a 120 bhp 1.4-litre petrol, to a 170 bhp 2.0-litre diesel and a 230 bhp range-topping petrol. Transmission options include five-speed and six-speed manual gearboxes, plus a dual-clutch semi-automatic gearbox.

The suspension setup consists of MacPherson struts at the front, and a new multi-link arrangement completes the rear. The DNA (Dynamic, Normal, All-weather) adjustable driving system, which debuted on MiTo, will be standard across Giulietta models.

Interestingly, Alfa Romeo's 147 replacement was actually named 148, then Milano, before finally settling on Giulietta. Alfa Romeo workers in Milan (Milano in Italian) made a fuss with the Milano name as they are still angry with Alfa Romeo's decision to relocate to Turin from Milan, where the Italian firm was founded 99 years ago.

Set to arrive in European markets in the first half of next year, before making its way elsewhere, Giulietta's production number is targeted at an eventual 100,000 cars a year.