Archive for Alfa Romeo

Auto Italia general manager Lim Boon Leong and Sime Darby Motor Division managing director Rajan Thurairatnam with Alfa City directors Foo En Lin and Terrence Foo.

Sime Darby Auto Italia Sdn Bhd (Auto Italia), has appointed Alfa City Services Sdn Bhd as the authorised dealer of Alfa Romeo cars in Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh. Alfa Citys Kuala Lumpur showroom cum service centre is located at Lot 21, Jalan Tandok off Jalan Maarof, Bangsar while its two Ipoh showroom and service centre are located at Jalan Sultan Iskandar and Jalan Lahat Lane respectively.

“2007 will be an exciting year for the marque as we will be introducing two highly acclaimed new models; namely the Alfa Romeo 159 sports sedan and the Alfa Brera coupe. Alfa City, with its vast experience and market knowledge, will be an invaluable partner in our push for a stronger foothold in the luxury segment as we continue the task of rebuilding the brand in Malaysia,” said Sime Darby Motor Division Sdn Bhd Managing Director Rajan Thurairatnam.

I will be looking forward to seeing the two new latest generation Alfa Romeos on Malaysian streets next year. One more photo after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Auto Italia appoints Alfa City as dealer

Here are somemore previews of the upcoming Alfa Romeo 149, based on the Fiat Group’s Premium platform, basically a shorter wheelbase version of what’s under the Alfa 159. Previous artist’s impressions done by Italian car magazine Quattroruote were based on leaked spyshots of the car - while they didn’t officially show the actual car, the artist’s impression was based on the spyshots.

The photos above however, are supposed to be a clay mock-up of the car, partially covered by a red sheet. While the rear design has stayed true to what we’ve seen recently, this is probably the first time we’re looking at the front. I can’t say I am connecting much with the new retro round lights that the clay model has - similiar to the ones on the Alfa 8c Competizione and the Alfa Romeo Diva Concept.

The Alfa front end lights design has gone from ovalish bulgy lamps seen on the pre-facelift 147 and the current Alfa GT, to sleek and slim ones on the post-facelift Alfa 147, to the current round retro-ish ones. While the lamps can be said to look good on sports cars, I’m not too sure if it will suit a hatch like the new 149. The car might end up looking too stout. What do you think? Click here for a rear 3/4 view of the car so you can have a look at the side profile as well.

Related Posts:
2007/2008 Alfa Romeo 149 Artist’s Impression

If you’re the owner of an Alfa Romeo or a Fiat, here is a list of spare parts available from Sime Darby Auto Italia. Due to platform sharing between the two Italian siblings, some of the parts are universal. Parts are available for the Alfa Romeo 33, 75, 145, 146, 147, 155, 156, 164, 166, Alfa GT, Alfa GTV, and the Alfa Spider. The spare parts are also available for the Fiat Bravo and Punto.

Click the icon to download:

Prices available by calling Mr. Kong Seng Kiat at 03-5569-6680 or Wan Roslan at 03-5569-8978. Parts fitted in the workshop will carry one year warranty.

What do you get when you take an already gorgeous Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Selespeed, and slap a nice bodykit and bigger wheels on? You get this little red rocket, now all it needs is to be an Alfa Romeo 147 GTA instead of a 2.0 Twinspark!

For my take on the Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Twinspark Selespeed, click here. Two more photos with enlarged versions available after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Alfa Romeo 147 with bodykit

Alfa Romeo drivers, who call themselves the Alfisti are very passionate about their cars. Oops, pardon me of the sacrilege I just committed calling Alfas mere cars, as the Alfisti refer to their Italian beasts as their Bellas, which is basically Italian for something curvy and sexy that you’d like to spend the whole night with, awake.

Which isn’t exactly untrue - I was dead tired after a long day which stretched to 4am, and I should have really gone back to get some shut eye - but I still wanted to take the Alfa Romeo 147 on a few spins around the empty roads of my neighbourhood. And that’s exactly what I did. The sound of the TwinSpark engine roaring in the silence of the night - you really have to experience it for yourself.

Here’s my take on the Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Twinspark Selespeed. [UPDATED!]

Click here to read the rest of Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Twinspark Selespeed Test Drive

Customised financing packages seem to be the in thing with car manufacturers these days. Sime Darby Auto Italia Sdn Bhd is the latest to join the bandwagon with a financing plan for the sporty Alfa 147 hatchback which starts at a monthly repayment of RM788 for the first year. The repayment amount increases by RM500 every year. This package is offered together with Sime Credit Sdn Bhd.

If you’re an Alfa fan, you might want to take advantage of this offer to finally get your first Alfa. But be sure your salary increments by at least RM500 every year!

Italian marque Alfa Romeo is making a comeback to the US, starting with the limited edition Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione, a carbon fibre-built sports car based on a shortened version of the Maserati Coupe platform. Alfa Romeo has been missing from the USDM market since 1995, more than 10 years ago.

The Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione will be powered by a Maserati 4.2-liter V-8 engine producing over 400 horses. Joining the 8c Competizione coupe in 2009 will be a soft top version known as the 8C Spider. 250 of the cars will make their way to the US market, which is about half of the total limited edition production planned worldwide.

These cars will carry price tags of around US$200,000, and it is hoped that the cars will create a halo effect to reintroduce Alfa Romeo as a sporty marque in the US market, paving way for more volume production models in 2010. The volume production models are expected to be the Spider, Brera coupe and a lengthened 159 sedan to suit US market conditions. Alfa Romeo will leverage on the Maserati dealership network already established in the US - about 47 of them.

Alfa Romeo is preparing it’s new 149 hatchback to be launched by the year 2007 or 2008. Above is an artist impression by Italian magazine Quattroruote, apparently based on spy photos leaked from Alfa. The car’s design cues are said to be based on the Alfa Romeo Kamal concept which made it’s debut at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, and the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. It’s platform will be shared with it’s parent company Fiat’s upcoming Fiat Stilo/Bravo. The platform will likely be a shortened wheelbase version of the company’s Premium platform which was used in the Alfa 159. Shown here is a 5-door hatch, but 3-door versions will also be offered.

Hopefully the new 149’s GTA model will have a better way to deliver it’s massive power to the wheels, as the previous 147 GTA’s 250 horsepower was a bit too much to be driven to the front wheels only. Perhaps it will be offered with Alfa Romeo’s Q4 all wheel drive system.

The Alfa Romeo Diva Concept was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. The Alfa Romeo Diva Concept was developed in a joint effort beween Fiat Auto’s R&D arm Elasis, the Alfa Romeo style center and the Espera design school. It was built to celebrate the Espera design school’s 10th anniversary.

Click here to read the rest of 2006 Alfa Romeo Diva Concept