As promised when the Fiat-Chrysler Group assumed distribution of Alfa Romeo in Australia, new prices now make the iconic Italian brand much more competitive with rival Europeans.
Fiat-Chrysler took-over distribution of Alfa Romeo in-house in- May last year, but as part of the agreement with the previous private importer, Ateco Automotive, waited until now to announce re-positioning and usher-in the new prices.
In that time, dedicated staff have been appointed to Alfa Romeo under the control of Rob Moorcroft, dealer numbers have increased to 46 (50 will likely be the final number) and parts storage and distribution has shifted to the Fiat-Chrysler head office in Port Melbourne, Victoria.
“This is the first time anyone has been serious about these brands,” Mr Moorcroft revealed. “We’ve put a lot of thought into re-positioning and the model range and with these new prices we’re definitely on the same page (as rival European vehicles)”.
“Alfa Romeo parts were put in-house over Christmas and there’s no problem with parts or distribution,” he added. Alfa Romeo parts distribution is part of the ‘back office’ functions shared across all group brands – Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat and Alfa Romeo.
As part of the revitalized Alfa Romeo brand in Australia, new television commercials have been produced locally and are currently on-air.
In the pipeline for the existing Alfa Romeo model range is a Mito facelift later this year and some extra variants for the Giulietta are also scheduled for 2013. Early next year the Giulietta also receives an update.
But the big news is of course the stunning all-new Alfa Romeo 4C sports car. The two-seat mid-engined mini-Supercar with a carbon-fibre tub is unveiled next month at the Geneva Motor Show and is due on-sale early 2014.
Alfa Romeo’s all-new open-top Spider sports car (a co-development with Mazda’s all-new MX-5) is slated for a 2015 launch.
Fiat-Chrysler Australia CEO Clyde Campbell said Alfa Romeo is embarking on a massive mission for global expansion aware a wider product range is vital and as other all-new models are announced, the local market can expect anything produced in right-hand-drive. “As we studied the North American market for re-positioning the Chrysler and Jeep brands in Australia, we’ve been looking closely at Alfa Romeo in Britain so any new models heading there will be considered for Australia,” Mr Campbell revealed.
But here and now, it’s the new prices which are sure to bring new customers to Alfa Romeo with the racy MiTo three-door hatchback now starting at $25,200 (down by $6,790) while the stylish Giulietta now starts at $29,350 (down by $7,640).
The full Alfa Romeo range is:
Current price Reduction New price
Mito 1.4 Progression TCT $31,990 $6,790 $25,200
Mito 1.4 Distinctive TCT $34,990 $7,890 $27,100
Mito 1.4 QV MT $34,990 $4,990 $30,000
Giulietta 1.4 Distinctive MT $36,990 $7,640 $29,350
Giulietta 1.4 Distinctive TCT $38,990 $7,640 $31,350
Giulietta 2.0D Distinctive TCT $40,990 $5,740 $35,250
Giulietta 1.8 QV MT $41,990 $2,840 $39,150
