Surprisingly, Chrysler leaked previously confidential information about tentative plans a Chrysler-Fiat tie-up would produce, including the model names of the first two Alfa Romeo s to arrive in North America. In an attempt to both resonate with Alfa enthusiasts lingering for the brand’s return, as well as to capture some quintessential Italian romance, the models would be called Milano and Giulia.
Fiat – and especially its luxury subsidiary, Alfa Romeo, has been seeking a return to the lucrative United States market for nearly 15 years. It’s likely that two Alfa Romeos would make it to the U.S. first – the smaller Milano and the larger Giulia.
Both model names have been used before, though Milano served as the North American-specific badge for the wedgy, V6-powered Alfa 75 sedans. Those sedans were high on technology and performance, but a little low on reliability. The new Milano would be the North American specification smaller sedan and hatchback that is set to replace the 147 early next year.
Alfa Romeo used the Giulia name for a number of years. Initially a replacement for the Giulietta (think Romeo and Juliet), the Giulia truly brought Alfa Romeo into the mainstream in Italy and abroad. Numerous Giulia models existed, but the best-known variants were the high-performance Super sedan and the Sprint GT (later variants known as Veloce or GTV), both of which inspired and later rivaled the more Teutonic BMW 2002.
Alfa Romeo would revive the Giulia name for its North American-spec 159 sedan replacement, which is due to arrive in Europe in 2011. The current 159 competes against the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4 , among others.
It’s expected that Alfa Romeo would continue the numerical strategy in Europe, reserving the names only for North America.
