With sightings of the Alfa Romeo 157 becoming common place, we now swing the spotlight and focus on to another future model set to illuminate Alfa Romeo’s outlook.

The Alfa Romeo 148, due to replace the Alfa 147 in May 2006, has all the merits needed to lead the pack of future hatchbacks.

Alfa Romeo have a long and successful history when it comes to practical and sporty hatchback models.

The Alfa Romeo Alfasud, launched at the Turin Motorshow in 1971, was praised in its heyday for unrivalled handling, and is considered by many enthusiasts as the car of the previous century.

The Alfasud was highly advanced at the time and featured thoroughly well thought out engineering solutions by Rudolf Hruska.

Thirty years on, the Alfa Romeo 147 received the ‘European Car of the Year 2001’ award, a milestone in Alfa’s history confirming their ability of producing top quality cars.

Numerous other awards have been granted to the Alfa Romeo 147, including ‘Trophées du design 2000’, ‘Auto Importado del Año en Brasil 2002’, and ‘Volante d'Oro’.

Now cosmetically refreshed with a clean facelift, the new Alfa Romeo 147, which was recently presented for the first time at the Paris Mondial de l'Automobile, continues to impress.
 

Behind the scenes, engineers at Alfa Romeo are enthusiastically finalising their proposals for the Alfa Romeo 147 replacement, the all-new 148.

Under supervision of Paolo Massai, the team are in safe hands. Massai has set a confident goal for the near future; to see Alfa Romeo offering sporty cars, with the highest power available in each category.

Naturally, a top of the range GTA sports edition will be offered, although the presently rumoured figure of 365 bhp does seem to be somewhat off the scale.

A complete range of petrol engines will cater for all needs, ranging from a 115 bhp 1.6 litre, to a 3.2 litre V6 JTS with 265 bhp.

Three diesel engines will also be available, with a 120 bhp 1.6 M-Jet serving the base model. With diesel power expected to make up the lion's share of Alfa 148 sales, a 1.9 M-Jet with 150 bhp will undoubtedly prove to be a highly popular choice, while a Twin Turbo 1.9 M-Jet with 200 bhp will round out the diesel line-up, offering stunning performance.

Multijet technology is a result of the successful Fiat-GM Powertrain joint venture. Benefits of the system include quieter combustion, reduced emissions, increased performance, better fuel efficiency and less vibration.
 

Opel’s recent Vectra OPC model provides some clues as to the potential technology Alfa will use on the 1.9 M-Jet Twin Turbo diesel engine.

Unlike conventional biturbo designs which run in parallel, GM developed a two-stage serial system. When running at low speeds, the engine is fed by a small fast responding turbo-charger, which provides the necessary boost without turbo-lag issues.

A larger high flow rate turbo-charger kicks in at higher rpm. Fuel consumption and emissions are not adversely affected, as the system is highly efficient.

The Alfa Romeo 148 will be based on the brand new GM Compact platform, which will first be used under the Alfa Romeo Kamal cross-over, providing this new model, which has now completed its development cycle, is signed off for production.

Alfa Romeo’s recent innovations in suspension and steering design, matched with the hi-tech platform, promise that the highest of expectations will be met when it comes to handling capabilities.
 

In terms of design, the Alfa Romeo 148 is expected to share many visual characteristics with the Kamal concept car. Detailed inside information, concerning a potential rear-end design for the Alfa Romeo 148, has led us to present an impression of current thinking.

A three-door version will initially be offered for sale in May 2006, with a five-door model following later in November.

Engine line-up:

Potential 148 GTA Engines under consideration:

by Paddy Granger
(Additional information: Stefano Maiano)