Alfa Romeo has released pictures of their new Giulietta sedan. The Giulietta is the first Fiat Group Auto that uses the C-Evo chassis. C-Evo is the evolution of Fiat's compact chassis currently used in the Fiat Bravo. This chassis (or platform architecture) is one of the technologies being given to Chrysler and is said to save Chrysler at least $1 billion in developmental costs.

Fiat Bravo

Fiat spent an estimated $148 million (100 Million Euros) upgrading and revising the current compact chassis with a new, advanced McPherson strut front and multilink rear suspension, lengthening the wheelbase and cutting the overhangs front and rear. In addition, Fiat has increased the chassis stiffness and also increased the crash worthiness (the current Bravo is already know for its five star crash rating and is listed at the top of its category by NCAP, Europe's leader in crash testing assessment).

Another advantage with this platform is it utilizes space frame technology, this allows its wheelbase to be easily adjusted to meet various models specifications.

Dodge 2010-2014 product plans (click to enlarge)

For example, in the compact segment, this chassis is being used for the replacement for the Dodge Caliber, which is due out in 2012. In the mid-size segment, the replacements for the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring will come out utilizing the C-Evo chassis, but with a longer wheelbase, this mid-size chassis is called the D-Evo, and is due out in 2013.

An added plus with the C-Evo is that besides front wheel drive, the chassis offers all wheel drive capabilities, opening up a new market for Chrysler in the compact and mid-size market segments.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta will premier during the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, held from March 4- 14. Below is the Alfa Romeo press release on the new Giulietta:

Alfa Romeo Giulietta: world preview

The New 2010 Alfa Romeo Giulietta

The new Alfa Romeo Giulietta will be presented to the world at the forthcoming Geneva Car Show. Sales of the new model will start in spring and be gradually extended to all the major markets. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta is expected to give new impetus to the brand in one of Europe's most important segments.

The 1954-56 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint

In the Centenary year, the name is a tribute to an automobile myth and Alfa Romeo.

The 1960-1962 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ

The Giulietta is a car that, in the fifties, caught the imagination of generations of car enthusiasts, making the dream of owning an Alfa Romeo and enjoying the high level of comfort and technical excellence accessible for the first time.

The Alfa Romeo Style Centre has produced a new Giulietta, a sports car capable of expressing both great agility on the most demanding routes and providing comfort on everyday roads.

A new architecture for enhancing road hold and agility in total comfort and safety

Meet the new Alfa Romeo, a compact created to appeal to customers who seek top dynamic performance and those who are looking for a distinctive style and a high level of comfort.

The Giulietta has brand-new architecture, designed to meet the expectations of the most demanding customers in terms of road holding, agility and safety. Its excellent dynamic performance and great comfort are the result of refined technical solutions implemented in the suspensions, a next-generation steering system, a rigid yet light structure made of aluminum and high-strength steel, and state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies.

Alfa DNA, a device which customizes behavior of the car according to different driving styles and road conditions, can adapt the new Alfa Romeo to the needs of each individual driver to enhance driving pleasure and comfort. The new architecture of the Alfa Giulietta was designed to integrate and enhance all on board systems. Three set-ups (Dynamic, Normal and All Weather) are available and can be selected using the Alfa DNA. This device - standard across the entire range of the new model - modifies the operating parameters of the engine, of the steering system, and of the Q2 electronic differential, in addition to fine-tuning the stability control system (VDC) behavioral logics.

Italian style sportiness and comfort

The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Concept Car

Combining sportiness and elegance, the Alfa Giulietta is the result of Alfa Romeo's new direction in style and technology - an approach that started with the 8C Competizione super car and which recalls the brand's glorious past while projecting its traditional values of technology and emotion into the future.

The front end is developed around a “trilobe shape” and features a brand-new interpretation of the classic Alfa grille, set into the front bumper and suspended between the two air intakes. The entire car develops from here to combine a lively personality with an elegant form.

The front headlamps implement LED technology and a Daytime Running Lights (DRL) function for maximum active safety.

The profile of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta is rich in personality and confers the appearance of an agile, solid model. This is above all the result of the coupé shaped side windows, which highlight dynamic and streamlined shape, and of the concealed rear handles. The side ribbing adds to the car's slender look, while the taut lines closing in on the rear end accentuate the "wedge" shape of the body.

The style of the rear end, like that of the front and the side, is strong and consolidates the impression of a muscular car, firmly gripped to the road.

Like the headlamps, the rear light clusters implement LED technology, to the advantage of preventive safety, in addition to good looks.

The interior design is taut and light: a horizontally developed dashboard with aluminum element accents and rocker controls which explicitly recall the 8C Competizione. Painstaking attention to detail and the high quality of the materials used are the most advanced expression of Italian style.

Finally, the dimensions of the new car give a compact, dynamic shape combined with excellent roominess and a capacious boot (350 liters): the car is 4.35 meters long, 1.46 meters high and 1.80 meters wide with a wheelbase of 2.63 meters.

Innovative engines for exciting, environmentally friendly driving

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta guarantees top level performance and next-generation technology in terms of technical solutions, performance and environmental friendliness. Four Turbo engines will be available at launch, all Euro 5 compliant and fitted with a standard “Start&Stop” system for reducing consumption and emissions: two petrol engines (1.4TB - 120 HP and 1.4TB MultiAir - 170 HP) and two diesel engines (1.6 JTDM - 105 HP and 2.0 JTDM - 170 HP, both belonging to the second generation of JTDM engines). Finally, the range is completed with the lively 1750 TBi - 235 HP with an exclusive Quadrifoglio Verde configuration.

Safety and dynamic behavior at the top of the segment

Alfa Romeo Giulietta was designed to obtain the maximum Euro NCAP rating in order to offer total protection to driver and passengers. Furthermore, suspension, steering and braking system are designed to be perfectly balanced even during extreme maneuvers.

Finally, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta is fitted with the most sophisticated electronic devices for dynamic control as standard: VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control), DST (Dynamic Steering Torque), Q2 electronic differential and Alfa DNA selector. All these systems guarantee driving safety, dynamism and performance in the best Alfa Romeo tradition.

Turin, 2nd December 2009