Equipped with this next-generation Alfa TCT transmission and optional shift paddles behind the steering wheel, the latest Alfa Giulietta offers a benchmark in its class in terms of performance, fuel consumption and emissions. Available with either the 1.4 TB MultiAir 170 bhp petrol (International Engine of Year Award ‘Best New Engine 2010’) or the 2.0 JTDM-2 170 bhp diesel engine, the Alfa TCT range increases the Giulietta’s appeal in both the fleet and consumer sectors.

The sporty credentials of the 1.4 TB MultiAir 170 bhp Giulietta with ALFA TCT transmission result in a car capable of a top speed of 135 mph and 0 to 62 mph time of 7.7 seconds. Even with this excellent performance, the fuel consumption and emissions remain low; 54.3 mpg over a combined cycle and 121 g/km of CO₂ – values that make the Giulietta lowest CO₂ emitting car of any petrol engine in the C segment – and with a BIK rate of only 15 per cent.

The values recorded in combination with the 2.0 JTDM-2 170 HP diesel engine are also outstanding: in fact, compared to the same version with manual gearbox, acceleration from 0 to 62 mph drops from 8.0 seconds to 7.9 seconds, fuel consumption (combined cycle) decreases from 60.1 mpg to 62.8 mpg, while CO₂ emissions are just 119 g/km (124 g/km with manual gearbox), resulting in a BIK rate of just 13 per cent.

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The Alfa Giulietta are also offers a class-leading five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, competitive finance offers, three years unlimited mileage manufacturer warranty, three years AA cover and up to five years or 50,000 miles complimentary servicing. This focused consumer offering has helped the marque finish in the Top Ten of the independently conducted J.D. Power and Associates 2011 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS), and seen Alfa Romeo UK record the industry’s largest year-to-date market share increase of 55.26 per cent in September.

Available to order now at Alfa Romeo dealerships – alongside the sporty compact Alfa MiTo 1.4 TB MultiAir 135 bhp ALFA TCT which was launched earlier this year – the Alfa Giulietta 1.4 TB MultiAir 170 bhp ALFA TCT and the 2.0 JTDM-2170 bhp ALFA TCT are available in Lusso and Veloce trim levels, with prices starting from £21,855 OTR.

General manager Cristiano Calabrese welcomed guests to the new Motor Village Croydon  before they enjoyed fine Italian cuisine, cocktail making exhibitions, pizza throwing, and games including radio controlled Fiat 500 model racing cars.

Motor Village Croydon joins Fiat Marylebone in central London, Fiat’s Battersea service centre and Fiat Direct in Hayes, to offer strong representation throughout London and Surrey.

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“We started here with Fiat in January and Alfa Romeo came in May,” says Tony Dittli, director, Motor Village Croydon. “Chrysler and Jeep joined us in July, so it’s continually evolving. We are still developing and learning but I think we have a superb showroom site from which to offer quality service and become the reference point for these great brands.”

Ahead of the London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace this weekend (August 5-6) Alfa Romeo ambassadors Kelly Sotherton (400m), Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (100m), Lisa Dobriskey (1500m) and Iwan Thomas MBE (former European and Commonwealth 400m champion) stepped off the track and into the studio alongside an Alfa MiTo Sprint. The aim was to create an exclusive series of power and beauty themed photographs entitled ‘without heart we would be mere machines’-the car maker’s strap line.

In a number of the images the athletes are pictured with the new Alfa MiTo Sprint – a name that both encapsulates Alfa Romeo’s continued support of UK Athletics, and also an iconic name that has been given to sporting Alfas of the past.

To celebrate the climax of both the domestic and international athletics season, Alfa Romeo will donate £100 to Heart Research UK for every new red Alfa MiTo sold in the month of August.

Former Olympic Heptathlon bronze medallist and current 400m runner Kelly Sotherton said: “When the opportunity came up to help raise funds for Heart Research UK with Alfa Romeo I didn’t hesitate to get involved. I was obviously a little nervous about being naked, but I’m proud of the pictures and they’ll be something I will be able to show the grandkids one day’

100m sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey said: “I’ve actually been in a few photo shoots before, but nothing to this degree. This is the most revealing I’ve been for a shoot and it really was exciting to do. I hope the photos help raise awareness of Heart Research UK and raise some serious money.”

Well renowned photographer Fergus Greer has captured a variety of personalities including David Bowie, Bill Gates, David Cameron and Princes William and Harry during his career, featuring twice at the National Portrait Gallery.

Visit www.facebook.com/AlfaRomeoUKto view the full photo gallery.

Behind the wheel of the Alfa MiTo – which in the range now includes the congestion charge beating 1.3 JTDM-285 bhp version – are two of Britain’s brightest World Championship medal contenders; European and Commonwealth 110m hurdles Champion Andy Turner took the driver’s seat, with ‘pinpoint’ navigational assistance from World and European Long Jump medallist Chris Tomlinson.

With just one chance for the contenders to recce the route, and bragging rights at stake, the pressure was on to not only out-manoeuvre one another but also the tourist crowds and London’s infamous traffic. Did the dynamic duo in the MiTo succeed or was Thomas’ gritty determination enough to see him through?

Throughout the season, which culminates at the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace on Friday 5 August, Alfa Romeo will be giving a series of clues as to the outcome of the challenge, and inviting athletics fans to guess the winner.

A series of films will be available on www.facebook.com/alfaromeouk to plot their progress throughout the challenge and the full race, and finish, will be shown first on a giant screen live to the crowds gathered for the London Athletics Grand Prix.

Viewers of the films who successfully guess the winner, Man or MiTo, will be in with a chance of winning an exclusive Alfa Romeo bike worth over £550. The Alfa Romeo Stradale Touring mountain bike is exclusively designed by Alfa Romeo Centro Stile in Italy, and manufactured by luxury Italian bike maker Compagnia Ducale. Featuring Alfa Romeo branding, including the iconic Cloverleaf badge – which adorns all high performance Alfa Romeos – the Alfa bike has everything you would expect from the famous marque; style, design and technology.

The near four mile course is a far cry from the distance Iwan Thomas is used to contesting, but he was still taking the race very seriously: “I’m a 400 metre runner not a four miler, but I think I can do it. I need to pace myself and try not to get lost. Hopefully there won’t be too many coach loads of tourists blocking my path. My competitive instincts are still with me, I’ve got to win.”

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Driver / European and Commonwealth champion Andy Turner says: “I’m pretty confident that we can beat Iwan but it looks like he’s been back in training for the race. There will be no time for viewing the landmarks of London, my focus is on winning and we’ve got to hope that the traffic isn’t too heavy and we don’t hit too many red lights. My season is going very well and I have high hopes for the World Championships, but if I don’t beat Iwan Thomas then I’m never going to live it down.”

Alfa Romeo has supported UKA since 2006 and the partnership includes supplying a fleet of vehicles to UKA coaches, staff and athletes, as well as a financial contribution towards the UKA programme.

Alfa Romeo and Fiat dealers can now offer an extended range of brake pad and disc kits, which allow the network to reduce the fitted price of replacement brake parts by up to 44 per cent. The kits are now available on around half the Fiat and Alfa Romeo car parc and include Grande Punto, Panda, 500 and Bravo, along with Alfa Romeo’s 147 and MiTo models, with an average price reduction of 29 per cent across the range.

As part of the initiative a new collection of original equipment brake pads and separate fitting kits has also been launched, reducing the price of a replacement pad procedure by up to 53 per cent.

And to help customers with cars no longer in production, the brake kit line-up is completed with a Magneti Marelli range, called Classic Line, which covers out-of-production models and reduces prices by up to 70 per cent. The range includes popular models such as Alfa 156, original Fiat Punto and Fiat Ulysse.

“I’m delighted we have been able to bring down the prices of these important parts,” says Rob Calver, parts and services director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK. “It means that Fiat’s authorised dealer network is now competitive in price with the aftermarket, offering even greater value and peace of mind for customers.

“There’s no better place for customers to keep their Fiat and Alfa checked, repaired and operating to its optimum performance, than an official dealer.”

Examples of prices for fitted kits include:

Fiat Panda – from £136 inc VAT
500 – from £128 inc VAT
Grande Punto – from £176 inc VAT
Bravo – from £193 inc VAT

Alfa 147 – £211 inc VAT
Alfa MiTo – £191 inc VAT
Alfa 156 – £178 inc VAT

The MiTo sports compact range has been streamlined from 17 versions to nine, with both Turismo and Lusso trim levels being replaced with the Sprint; while entry level versions are now known as Progression, and Distinctive while Quadrifoglio Verde versions replace Veloce and Cloverleaf.

Prices have been reduced across the range, and now start at £12,250 OTR for the entry level 1.4 8v Progression, rising to £17,955 OTR for the 1.4 TB MultiAir 170bhp Quadrifoglio Verde.

In terms of enhanced specification, Distinctive (formerly Veloce) and Quadrifoglio Verde (Cloverleaf) are both enriched with additional equipment, including Cruise Control, Sports pedals and rear parking sensors.

Three new engines become available: 1.4 8v 78bhp (available in Progression and Sprint, replacing the 1.4 16v 95bhp unit) for lower emissions, superior MPG and Start&Stop as standard; 1.4 MultiAir 105bhp (available with Sprint or Distinctive trims) for superior power, torque and MPG (compared to the 1.4 16v 95bhp engine); and the new congestion charge/tax busting 1.3 JTDM-2 (Sprint only, replacing the 1.3 16v 95bhp unit) which produces a spritely 85bhp and just 95g/km of CO₂, which means free travel in the congestion charge zone, together with free road tax and first registration fee. Business users can also claim 100 per cent capital allowance in the first year of ownership.

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Finally, the Alfa MiTo will become available in Metal Bronze, a colour entirely new to the Alfa range, having been previewed at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. On Progression and Sprint versions, it can also be chosen with new Sprint Bronze upholstery.

The new range is on sale now.

The eye-catching MiTo Sprint – available in UKA ‘Union Jack’ inspired colours – red, white or blue – boasts added features to boost driveability, comfort and performance, whilst giving prospective owners the chance to drive a model inspired by Britain’s sporting elite.

With more than £1,500 worth of extras, including cruise control, leather steering wheel and gear stick, remote audio controls on steering wheel, Blue&Me™ Bluetooth^® hands-free system with voice recognition, and media player with a USB port, the MiTo Sprint is available on finance from £199 per month with a deposit of just £1000.

The Special Edition also features a rear spoiler, 16” alloy wheels, fog lights, and unique Sprint badging, giving the exterior a notably sportier appearance, to add to the already highly specified model which includes Alfa’s exclusive D.N.A  and is available in special colours; Biancospino White, Alfa Red, or metallic Tornado Blue.

Alfa Romeo is now in its fourth year as Official Car Supplier to UK Athletics, where it has supported the medal winning efforts of many of the sport’s biggest stars including Phillips Idowu, Kelly Sotherton and Christine Ohuruogu.

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Designed to appeal to a young, sporty audience, the Alfa MiTo Sprint is powered by a choice of two petrol engines: 1.4 16V 95 bhp costing £13,295 OTR or 1.4 TB MultiAir 135 bhp with ALFA TCT automatic transmission costing £16,395 OTR, and the turbodiesel 1.3 JTDM-2 95 bhp version costing £14,845 OTR.

The new Special Edition Alfa MiTo Sprint is now available at Alfa Romeo dealerships across the UK. To find out more visit www.alfaromeo.co.uk

Available with the 1.4 TB MultiAir 135 bhp petrol engine and combined with a Start&Stop system, this Alfa Romeo MiTo offers outstanding performance (38.7 mpg over an urban cycle, 128 g/km of CO₂ and 8.2 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph), a result that is superior to the same engine with a manual gearbox (the values of which are 38.2 mpg, 129 g/km and 0- 62 mph acceleration time of 8.4 seconds).

The Alfa MiTo 1.4 TB MultiAir with ALFA TCT is available in Lusso and Veloce trim levels, with prices starting from £16,745 OTR.

In detail, the operation of the ALFA TCT transmission is distinguished by maximum interaction with the vehicle’s systems. To achieve the best performance on the road depending on driving conditions and on the driver’s requests, the transmission interacts with the braking, engine control, Alfa D.N.A. vehicle dynamic control switch, Start&Stop, steering and vehicle stability control systems.

Thanks to the speed with which the parameters are processed, the transmission can, for instance, modify the speed of gear shift, manage the torque delivery, for instance on low grip roads, and it can operate completely automatically or as a manual sequential gearbox, and adopt a usage profile which focuses primarily on reducing fuel consumption.

Developed by FPT – Fiat Powertrain Technologies, in conceptual terms the new ALFA TCT transmission consists of two gearboxes in parallel, each with its own clutch, which allows the selection and engagement of the subsequent gear while the previous one is still engaged. The gear is therefore changed with a simple gradual switch of the corresponding clutches, guaranteeing continuous torque delivery and therefore traction.

The result is a driving comfort and sporty feeling far superior to those offered by conventional automatic transmissions (with torque converter), as proven by greater speed of gear shift, the possibility of selecting between manual or automatic mode, and a near-zero power loss during the gear change. In addition, the purchasing, servicing and running costs are low, while fuel consumption is reduced, thanks also to the implementation of the Start&Stop system, by up to 10% compared with a traditional automatic hydraulic transmission with torque converter.

Other notable features of the new ALFA TCT are its flexibility of application, thanks to the compact size of its components, and the fact that it is a dry twin clutch (the type of clutch that guarantees the highest degree of efficiency in terms of fuel consumption among all automatic transmissions).

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If we compare dry clutches with oil bath (wet) clutches, we can safely say that the former dissipate energy only during the actual slipping phase of the gear change and on pick-up, whereas wet clutches, which always operate in an oil bath, introduce losses due to viscous friction such as those of conventional automatic transmissions, even when they are not in operation. They also require forced cooling with oil, and therefore continuous energy expenditure to drive the dedicated oil pump (absent in the case of dry clutches).

A ‘wet’ automatic transmission also requires approximately 4.8 litres more gearbox oil than the dry version, again for reasons of clutch cooling (in this way, weight is added and losses due to splashing increase). When all these effects are added together, a dry transmission is found to be approximately 6% more efficient than the corresponding wet one in terms of consumption.

The game against London rivals, Wasps, on Sunday is the first competitive UK domestic rugby fixture to be played overseas.

In between preparations for the big game, Evans, Skinner and Club Captain, Robshaw, were invited by Alfa Romeo – who are the club’s Official Vehicle Supplier – to stretch their legs by grabbing the wheel of the 235 bhp range-topping Alfa Giulietta Cloverleaf, at the world famous Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in Kent.

The player’s were assessed across a variety of disciplines including the ability to drive to instruction, changing gear, taking the racing line, use of power and braking technique.

With the competitiveness that you would expect from professional sportsmen, the trio pushed their driving skills to the absolute limit with All Blacks’ fly half, Evans, taking the winner’s podium.

Evans, who currently drives an Alfa, commented: “I’m not sure Will and Chris are happy but ultimately it was no contest, the best man won! With each lap I gained more and more confidence and got faster and faster across all parts of the track. It was a great day and we thoroughly enjoyed putting the Giulietta’s through their paces – they can certainly handle.”

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Alfa Romeo is celebrating its third season as Official Car Supplier to Harlequins Rugby Football Club.

The all-new 5-door, Giulietta, which was launched in July 2010, combines impeccable safety credentials, Italian style, comfort and functionality with all the dynamic qualities and driving performance you would expect from the marque. Prices for the Alfa Giulietta hatchback start from £17,450 OTR.

Stars including singers VV Brown, Little Boots, Jamelia and Destiny’s Child Michelle Williams who were chauffeured to and from the show at Somerset House in a fleet of  Giuliettas along with PPQ designer Amy Molyneaux, top American model Amber Rose and Vivienne Westwood model Tolula Adeyemi.

The PPQ fashion label was launched in 1992 by Molyneaux and Percy Parker and led the way for the drainpipe jean revolution dressing the likes of Peter Doherty and Amy Winehouse. The label sits among London Fashion Week’s show calendar with continued success and celebrity interest.

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