- Giulietta secures shares of 2.8% in Europe and 14.5% in Italy: the highest figures ever reached by an Alfa Romeo in the compact segment.
- Top-of-the-range versions, in white or red, the most powerful engine versions: the ideal Giulietta
- Giulietta at the top of the segment in terms of driving pleasure, safety, comfort, reliability, residual value and efficiency
2011 was a year which saw great growth for the Giulietta, with shares of 2.8% in Europe and 14.5% inItaly. These are the highest figures ever reached by an Alfa Romeo in the compact segment. In absolute terms, approximately 80,000 cars were registered in Europe in 2011 alone, 40% of which inItaly.
The foreign markets in which the Giulietta achieved the best results areFrance(more than 9,200 cars), theUK(more than 7,100 cars) andGermany(more than 6,300 cars), and since the launch, midway through 2010, Giuliettas ordered worldwide total almost 140,000.
The most popular trim levels, colours and engine versions for the Giulietta
Of the cars sold, the trim levels at the high-end of the range, “Distinctive” and “Exclusive”, have proven the most popular, making up 90% of the total.
As far as engine versions are concerned, the lion’s share is taken by the most powerful: for example, the 1.4 MultiAir 170 HP represents 15% of the sales mix, about 7 times the average for the segment in this power bracket. The best-selling engine version overall is the 1.6 MultiJet 105 HP, achieving 35% of total sales.
Ghiaccio white is the colour chosen most frequently (35%), whilst the reds – an indispensable part of the Alfa range – represent approximately 16% of the total. Speaking of red, the sport packs in the Giulietta range have had a warm reception; of the customers who choose the Distinctive/Exclusive trim levels, almost half personalise their Giulietta with their own sporting touch.
The Giulietta immediately won over an extensive and varied target: the car has proved a favourite with customers aged 40 on average with a medium/high-level education, and with women for 20% (in line with the market), while families represent no less than half of purchases, compared to an average of 20% for the segment. The latter figures represent a divergent trend in the Alfa Romeo target, demonstrating the extent to which the elegance and practicality of the car has been appreciated by the public.
All the strong points of the Giulietta model
Customers are not alone in appreciating the Giulietta. In fact, the car has been accumulating numerous international accolades and awards ever since its launch. Its considerable success hinges on simple considerations: Giulietta kept the promises that she made at launch, about superlative handling and driving pleasure, outstanding quality and limited running costs, excellent space and comfort and category-leading active and passive safety.
Alfa Romeo Driving pleasure
The Giulietta has assumed a place in the tradition of the best Alfa Romeos, drawing on its heritage of dynamic performance, without compromising on efficiency and convenience in everyday use. The secret behind this performance is drawn from continuous technological research, which finds its utmost expression in the Giulietta. This is demonstrated by the “Compact” architecture – created with high-resistance materials which allowed the weight of the structure to be limited – Dual Pinion active steering, the sophisticated suspension configurations, the Alfa DNA dynamic driving selector and the multi-award-winning MultiJet and MultiAir engines. These are the innovations which spelt success, together with the Alfa TCT transmission, which completes the extraordinary technological make-up of the car.
The safest car in its segment
For those who think that safety detracts from performance, the Giulietta turns the tables, taking its place as the safest car in its category. In addition to the indisputable dynamic qualities of the Giulietta, all versions feature the following as standard: 6 airbags, ESP, three-point seat belt with dual pretensioner and anti-whiplash system. These are followed – again as standard – by certain systems which are unique in this category, such as Alfa DNA with electronic Q2, the system which allows torque to be transferred to the outer wheel when cornering, to prevent understeer at the front, with benefits for the car in terms of traction, safety and driveability. And there’s more: DST, which prompts the driver to correct their driving in the event of an emergency, through impulses at the wheel.
Finally, there’s Pre-fill, which ensures maximum braking response in case of danger. All this content translates into record-breaking active and passive safety: the Giulietta proved itself the safest compact ever, of those tested by EuroNCAP. This is even more significant when you consider that, despite the stricter criteria introduced by EuroNCAP and the launch of new cars, to this day the Giulietta remains the undisputed benchmark among compacts in terms of safety.
Alfa Romeo Space and comfort
The Giulietta achieves an excellent standard of comfort, on the firm foundation of a build quality which is impressive on every level. For example, the superior driving comfort is due to the longitudinal and vertical filtering capacity of the suspension.
The same applies to the passenger compartment sound insulation, with side windows which are thicker by 25% and double seals at the doors. In tests, it proved the best among its direct competitors, both in terms of articulation index and in the 50 km/h on paving test.
As far as interiors are concerned, the Giulietta combines the appearance of a true sports car with great everyday practicality. Comfort is a strong point: the high quality of the materials used for the dashboard and the ergonomics of the interior space in general contribute to a great on-board experience.
There hasn’t been any compromise on load capacity either, thanks to a luggage compartment with a very regular shape which can be exploited to the full, with a width of 1023 mm between the wheel arches and a maximum capacity of 350 litres. These are the elements which underpin a far-reaching success, encompassing a broad customer base, including families.
Lastly, the dynamic feeling that the car offers at the wheel has no parallel: in the roll test, like a true Alfa Romeo, the Giulietta demonstrates the lowest gradient value among all its direct competitors.
The best indices for reliability, residual value and customer satisfaction
Some important indices confirm the build quality of the Giulietta, placing it at the top of segment. Take servicing, for a start: compared to the competition, Giulietta is the car which requires the least servicing in its first 3 years or at 90,000 km. All this demonstrates the efficiency and low running costs which led to the success of the car not only among individuals but also in fleets, where the Giulietta isItaly’s best-selling car and is making its way into the corporate policies ofEurope’s biggest companies.
Another indication of the Giulietta’s superior quality is the maintenance of its value over time: according to independent third parties such as Eurotax, it can boast the best prices for a car in its segment on the used car market. Market values after twelve months are 68.5% inItaly, 77.5% in theUKand 66.9% inSpain. But the Giulietta also wins out among the compacts in terms of residual value in all other markets.
A further confirmation of the Giulietta’s build qualities is found in customer satisfaction: 98% say that they are satisfied and almost all (90%) recommend the car, 15 points above the market average for models at launch. The analysis offered by the customers demonstrates that characteristics such as the handling, comfort and efficiency are those that give most satisfaction, and satisfaction grows as the mileage increases.
Efficiency: the optimal relationship of performance to consumption-emissions
The excellent performance/consumption ratio confirms the Giulietta’s exceptional efficiency, a value which is further increased thanks to the introduction of the Alfa TCT. With the new automatic transmission, the car achieves excellent values for the segment, improving on the already impressive standard set by the manual gearbox: on both engine versions – 170 HP 1.4 TB MultiAir and 170 HP 2.0 JTDM – which allow TCT, the jump from 0 to 100 is improved and, at the same time, there is a reduction in emissions of CO2.
If you then consider the power/emissions ratio, the Giulietta is best in class for the petrol engine version. That’s not just in relation to engines with the same power, but even in relation to versions with lower power.
In detail, in the 170 HP TCT Giulietta 1.4 TB MultiAir version, the top speed is 218 km/h, with just 7.7 seconds needed to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h. Even with this excellent performance, consumption and emissions are extraordinarily modest: 5.2 l/100km in the combined cycle and 121 g/km of CO2, values that make the Giulietta the most environmentally-friendly and efficient petrol-powered compact on the market, even when compared with manual gearbox versions of competitors with distinctly lower power ratings and performance.
Recorded values also head up the category in combination with the 170 HP 2.0 JTDM diesel engine. In fact, compared to the same version with manual gearbox, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h drops from 8.0 seconds to 7.9 seconds and consumption (combined cycle) decreases from 4.7 l/100 km to 4.5 l/100 km, while CO2 emissions reach a figure of 119 g/km (124 g/km with manual gearbox). The low running costs of this car, combined with limited consumption, also make it an ideal choice for corporate fleets.
Heir to a great tradition, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCT blends the best in driving feeling and performance with a car which is comfortable and cutting-edge across the board. The innovative Alfa TCT twin clutch transmission completes the car’s comprehensive technological offer and will allow it to increase coverage of the compact segment inEuropeby approximately 10%. Additionally, the new version will also be able to compete in markets which are dominated by automatic transmissions, such asJapanandAustralia. And the initial data confirms the appreciation of the public: from the start of ordering to date, the demand for Alfa TCT automatic gearboxes on the car is 15% of the total, thus already above the European average, promising great sales success for the future.
