Antonio Baravalle, the CEO of Alfa Romeo Automobiles, has presented Fiat's 'sporty' brand to the media in Geneva, and during the press conference on Tuesday the Italian emphasised the great progress that has been made in all areas of operations as well as the new technology that is being implemented across the model range. The press conference was very well attended, amply demonstrating the interest that the media has in the Milanese marque's on-going revival, while Luca di Montezemolo and Sergio Marchionne, the Chairman and CEO of the Fiat Group respectively, were also both in attendance.

He though started by focusing on the UK network which has been overhauled from through the supply chain to the dealerships, and he was pleased to be able to report that the new strategy is already paying dividends. The UK programme is of particular significance to Alfa Romeo as a whole as the lessons learnt will be incorporated as the network changes there are to be extended right across Europe, and also assist in the implementation of a new United States operation which will start to come on stream just before the end of the decade. He was also pleased to report that "for the first time ever in Alfa Romeo's history" the Alfa Brera has become one of the highest residual value-holding cars on sale in the UK.

Baravalle then pointed to the new technology being rolled out across the Alfa 159, Brera and Spider range; serving to make the cars "more fun to drive, more sporty." The gaps in the range are being plugged by more powerful turbodiesel engines, as well as new automatic and semi-automatic transmissions. He was pleased to be able to introduce "the Brera 2.2 JTS with the new generation of Selespeed gears and the new Spider 2.4 JTDM", both on display on the stand in Geneva. The latter model becomes Alfa Romeo's first diesel-powered convertible sports car, and Baravalle is proud of the 200bhp 2.4-litre engine's characteristics. Mated to a six-speed gearbox it offers excellent torque and fuel economy, he said.
 

Alfa Romeo are also introducing a development version of the Blue&Me infotelematic system which was developed in conjunction with the US computer software giant, Microsoft. Building on the success of Blue&Me (50 percent of new Alfa Romeo purchases are specified with the option revealed Baravalle) the new version offers more and improved features.

The Alfa 8C Competizione is being shown in Geneva finished in black for the first time, the super-sports car being displayed in a darkened corner of the stand, an effect which aims to emphasise its menacing aura. As full production of the 500 units approaches, a number of small detail changes are to be seen on the car here, including new round-shaped rear reverse and fog lights, as well as changes to the headlight units. The dramatic Alfa 8C Competizione will give way to its Spider sister, once the limited production run of the Coupé at Modena is completed.

The new TI pack is also making its debut at the Swiss motor show, being shown here on a 159 and 159 Sportwagon, the familiar TI (Turismo Internazionale) badging being seen once again on the rear of an Alfa Romeo model. The red stitching of the TI option contrasts effectively on the dark leather interiors, while the TI-branded kick plates immediately stand out.

Both TI models are finished in the Alfa 8C's innovative three-layer red paint, and the effect is superb, the new colour really serving to bring out the visual qualities of the Alfa 159. New interiors and new leather colours are being shown on the Brera and Spider.

by Edd Ellison in Geneva