Alfa Romeo Giulia launched

The Alfa Romeo Giulia has made its international debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The BMW 3 Series and Jaguar XE rival will reach the UK in 2016, with prices starting at around £22,000.

The rear-wheel drive Giulia will effectively replace the discontinued 159 in the Alfa range and use an aluminium and carbon fibre construction to cut weight and improve economy. Details on engines and economy figures are sketchy, but expect the Giulia to be offered with a wide range of efficient diesels, along with a selection of high performance petrols.

Alfa Romeo has already confirmed the 4C’s 240PS engine, with power delivered to the rear-wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. A track-focussed Quadrifoglio - pictured above - will also be available, with a 2.9-litre V6 producing 510PS and 0-62mph time of 3.9 seconds.

All Giulia models will use a new rear suspension set-up although Alfa Romeo is keen to stress that the Giulia will be comfortable, which means it should be well suited to Britain’s bumpy roads.

The interior is being billed as a significant step up over the current crop of Alfa Romeos, so expect an executive cabin with lots of soft-touch materials and a minimalist, clutter free dashboard. High performance variants will get a steering wheel mounted starter switch, while a central rotary dial will operate the infotainment in a similar fashion to BMW’s iDrive.

Like the Jaguar XE, the Giulia boasts a curved bonnet, narrow sweptback headlights and Alfa Romeo’s trademark V-shaped grille. The front of the car also carries large air intakes, while the sharp lines and coupe styled rear features a large spoiler.

The Giulia is the start of a raft of new models from Alfa Romeo which will include its first SUV, rumoured to be similar in size to a BMW X3 and developed using a Jeep platform.