Alfa Romeo will launch top Giulia version first as BMW M3 fighter

TURIN -- Alfa Romeo will unveil the range-topping version of its new Giulia sedan on Wednesday evening. The car is called the Giulia Quadrifoglio and it will be a competitor to the BMW M3 and Audi RS 4, sources said.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' sporty Italian brand plans to use performance to stand out against its German premium rivals.

The Giulia Quadrifoglio will be the first example of the strategy. It is powered by a 510-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine derived from the unit that Ferrari builds for the Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans, according to supplier sources.

The Giulia Quadrifoglio will be offered only with rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission, sources said ahead of tomorrow's unveiling. A carbon fiber hood and roof help reduce weight to about 1,500kg.

The Giulia Quadrifoglio will go on sale in Europe early next year and in the U.S. a few months later as the first variant of Alfa's new Giulia midsize sedan that will play a crucial role in the brand's revival.

Photos and some details about the car began to leak on Tuesday ahead of its world introduction on Wednesday.

The Giulia's core gasoline engine will be a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder unit. Europe will get diesels including a 3.0-liter V-6 currently offered by Jeep and Maserati.

The Giulia is underpinned by Alfa’s new rear-wheel-/all-wheel-drive Giorgio platform. Fiat Chrysler is investing 5 billion euros in a bid to increase Alfa's annual global sales to 400,000 by 2018 from 70,000 last year and end years of losses at the brand that has suffered from a lack of fresh product.

The Giulia's launch will be followed by the introduction of Alfa's first SUV early in 2017. The midsize crossover will be a rival to the Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

A large sedan is due to be launched in late 2017 to compete with the Audi A6 and BMW 5 series and replaces the Alfa 166 that was discontinued in 2007.

The Giulia Quadrifoglio will be unveiled in the early evening local time on Wednesday at the Alfa Romeo museum in Arese, outside Milan, on the 105th anniversary of the foundation of Alfa as the acronym of Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. The car also debuts a new version of Alfa’s logo.