It's pleasing to report that, as these face-lifted Giulia and Stelvio models are being announced, Alfa Romeo appears to be in the rudest health it's been for a while. Profits are up, cash flow is solid, and a raft of new electric and electrified models are on the horizon.
Triple-lens Matrix LED lights
In the meantime, Alfa is giving the Giulia and Stelvio - and no two cars are more criminally overlooked in the Irish market - a general update and facelift to keep them fresh.
The most obvious change is at the front, where you'll find new triple-lens LED headlights, whose design mimics that of the new Tonale crossover, which in turn mimic those of the Giugiaro-designed 159 and Brera of the mid-2000s, which in turn again were inspired by the Zagato-designed SZ 'Il Mostro' coupe of the late eighties.
These new lights are fully-active LED matrix units with auto high beams and selective blanking sections to avoid dazzling other traffic. At the rear, new LED brake lights on the Giulia have clear lenses, while the Stelvio gets smoked glass.
Inside, both cars get a new all-digital instrument panel, which like that of the Tonale, comes with a 'Heritage' setting which gives you a classic 1960s dial layout. Or you can choose from more modern Relax or Evolved layouts.
NFT service history
In the centre of the dash, there's a new touchscreen which comes with more connected services and now gets over-the-air software updates. It also uses a new 'blockchain' digital service book which creates a 'Non Fungible Token' or NFT - a secure digital document - each time the car is serviced and which acts as a transferable service history. Alfa reckons that this is a world first in the car market and should help improve the cars' residual values.
As before, the chassis of both the Giulia and the Stelvio come with aluminium suspension and carbon-fibre prop shafts. You can choose between rear-wheel drive with a 'Q2' locking differential or a 'Q4' all-wheel drive system, depending on the model. High-spec Competitzione models get adaptive dampers, too, while all models now come with a standard eight-speed auto box (which was always the case in Ireland but not in all European markets).
Competitzione models
The model lineups will consist, as with the new Tonale, of Ti and Veloce versions, while at launch, there's the Competitzione which is the top version in the lineup and stands out for its exclusive Moon Light grey matt colour and red brake callipers. The Stelvio Competitzione gets by 21-inch alloy wheels while both cars get Harman/Kardon audio systems and leather-upholstered dashboards and seats with red stitching. Finally, you get privacy glass and the Competizione badge on the sides and front headrests. On the Competizione, the exclusive Alfa Active Suspension and NFT (Non-Fungible Token) technology come as standard; "which certifies the uniqueness of each Competizione car," says Alfa.
No Irish prices nor arrival dates as yet for these, but we'll update this news piece when we know more.