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Decibellisima! The Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde is a worthy flagship for the Giulia range, which just happens to be the best Alfa Romeo in a generation!

Tested: 2.9-litre, bi-turbo V6, 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive.

Giulia starts from £34,995. Giulia QV from £67,195. Giulia QV as tested: £73,460 (see fitted options below).

A trembling finger prods the ‘stop’ button and a deafening silence floods the cabin. My ears are ringing, my wrists are numb and my forearms ache. Excess adrenalin turns my body into a sack of Maris Pipers. On the ragged edge of legal velocities deep in the South Downs National Park, I’ve just spent the final few hours of a great week with arguably the best Alfa Romeo ever made.

As much a mouthful as it is a handful, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde – to give it its full name – is an utterly brilliant car. However, that it saw the light of day at all is a minor miracle.

With the possible exclusion of the 4C, there has been much to disappoint from Alfa Romeo during the first half of the last decade, fuelling the near-demise of the Italian brand. It has offered a series of dull, Fiat-sourced front-wheel drive hatchbacks that have failed to tempt the Alfisti. As for attracting new buyers to the brand, the former Mito and current Giulietta are as appealing as a caravan of stoats in your underwear. 

Consequently, there was a lot resting on the Giulia’s shoulders when it was launched back in 2016. It was the first model in Alfa Romeo’s ambitious renaissance, which involved a €5b (yes, billion) cash dump from parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA Group), and an army of over 800 designers and engineers whose sole brief was to develop an all-new Alfa Romeo model range. 

The first new model to arrive was the Giulia saloon, followed a year later by the Stelvio – the Italian carmaker’s first ever SUV. The Giulia was subject to an extended gestation period and rescheduled launch dates, reportedly due to several designs being unceremoniously returned to the drawing board by the late Sergio Marchionne, CEO of the FCA Group at that time. 

Development of the Giulia was overseen by Ferrari 458 creator Philippe Krief. It was designed at the ‘Centro Stile Alfa Romeo’ and is built at FCA’s Cassino plant north of Naples. It continues to ride on the longitudinal-engined, rear-wheel drive platform developed by Ferrari for Alfa Romeo.

The Giulia received a slight exterior and interior refresh earlier this year to keep it fresh against main rivals, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 saloon and BMW M3. There are other opponents if you're after performance instead of the specific body style, such as the Audi RS5 Coupe and RS4 Avant estate, Lexus RC F coupe and the BMW M4 Coupe.

Hot on the heels of the Stelvio QV tested last week, I’ve spent the last few days with WP20 BKX, a 510bhp 2.9-litre, bi-turbo V6 Alfa Romeo Giulia QV, presented in Competizione Red (£2,500). Once the white had dissolved from my knuckles, I was able to make a few notes…the first of which is how stunningly beautiful the South Downs National Park looks at this time of year.

The level of sex appeal expected of an expensive, high-performance Italian car oozes from the Giulia’s sculpted curves. This Quadrifoglio Verde model piles on the testosterone with an angry-looking front bumper underlined by an active front aero splitter, a massive rear diffuser straddled by Ferrari-like dual exhausts and a bonnet and roof made from weight reducing carbon fibre.

For its 2020 model year, Alfa Romeo has given the exterior a very light update which includes new LED rear light clusters with dark lenses and a new glossy black finish adorning the front trilobe and rear badges. Mopar has also designed an exclusive QV accessories line for the Giulia’s 2020 model year, featuring a carbon fibre front grille with “V” insert, mirror caps and rear spoiler.

Like the updated Stelvio SUV, the Giulia’s centre console has been adapted to offer greater tactile and visual impact, while also providing more storage space. There’s a new flat-bottomed, leather trimmed steering wheel and gear stick and customers can now choose to option red or green seat belts over the regular black set.

With one of the very best driving positions in the performance car business, once you’re seated snuggly in the driving seat and with the sports steering wheel in your grasp, you know that the Giulia QV comes from a country of obsessively keen drivers. The oversized silver flappies mounted behind the wheel allow up or down shifting regardless of where the steering wheel is positioned, but they do tend to intrude on the stalk-mounted switchgear behind them.

On-board kit like satnav, Bluetooth and other bits and bobs are easy to fathom, the switchgear itself feels good and everything is laid out well, though certain interior trim pieces are a tad so-so in quality. However, you quickly forget that once you press that bright red starter button.

Alfa Romeo improved the Giulia’s infotainment system for 2020. The same 8.8-inch screen from last year’s model carries over, only now it’s a touchscreen – though you can still control it with the rotary dial as well. The screen itself gets better graphics, more configurable widgets and faster processing to go along with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Generally speaking, it all looks neat and is very easy to use.

The front sports seats are quite wide and both shoulder room and elbow room are good. There are plenty of cubbyholes to stow your automotive detritus, including a sizeable space underneath the centre armrest and glovebox.

With a longer wheelbase than any of its rivals, rear legroom is generous and headroom is good despite the sloping roofline. Of course, if you want a ballistic saloon that’s more spacious, there are always the AMG versions of the Mercedes E-Class, as well as the BMW M5 – both with their respectively higher price tags.

Boot space is identical to the regular Giulia at 480 litres, which handily matches the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class. As it’s a saloon, you haven’t got a huge boot opening, and this isn’t helped by a high lip to haul items over. Its rivals – even the BMW M3 – are, or will be, available as an estate, but Alfa Romeo doesn’t sell a Giulia estate, nor does it plan to.

There are five trim levels in the 2020 Giulia model range; Super, Sprint, Lusso Ti, Veloce and the range-topping Quadrifoglio Verde, tested here.

Every Giulia in the UK’s five-model trim range has a pretty comprehensive specification. Range-entry cars gets 17-inch wheels, dual-zone climate control, automatic emergency braking, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, all-round parking sensors and reversing camera, satnav, ambient lighting and Alfa Connect infotainment system.

On the Giulia QV, there’s lots of other equipment, including a blend of leather and Alcantara seats, keyless entry and start, auto lights and wipers, active cruise control, Alfa SDC suspension control, aluminium sports pedals, leather dashboard, door panels and centre armrest and blind-spot detection.

The new 7-inch TFT screen in the heart of the instrument cluster is also now standard across the whole Stelvio range. The screen layout has been redesigned to offer more information in a more rational way, and to accommodate the semi-autonomous driving technology parameters.

Exclusively available in the QV’s new instrument cluster are performance pages which show the temperatures of the main mechanical components, torque delivery, turbo pressure and power used, as well as digital chronometers to measure acceleration and maximum speed, allowing the driver to view performance levels and vehicle status in real time.

As is the norm, automotive brands take the opportunity to showcase their press cars by specifying a number of (mostly suitable, but sometimes not) optional extras to their press fleet models.

This week’s press car is no exception as the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV was fitted with 19-inch black 5-hole alloy wheels (£695), a ‘Driver Assistance Plus Pack’ costing £1,500, which includes lane keep assist, active cruise control, highway assist system, traffic sign recognition, traffic jam assist, active blind spot assist, driver attention assist, and intelligent speed control). On a car costing over £73,000, it is not entirely unreasonable for it all to be included in the price. 

Also fitted to the test car were a chunky QV sports steering wheel (£425) and a Harman Kardon audio system (£595).

The Giulia QV was designed and engineered to deliver uninhibited driving enjoyment. Rivals were never its target but, should it happen to transform BMW’s M3 to gelding status along the way, then so be it.

The Giulia’s technical and mechanical hardware also arouses. There is a sophisticated torque-vectoring differential, a twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 with strong Ferrari lineage and the sticky Pirelli P Zero Corsas deliver gut-shifting, white knuckle grip.

That bi-turbo V6 is an omnipotent power plant. You won’t hear Alfa Romeo admit it, but it has the same bore and stroke as the V8 in Ferrari’s 488 GTB. The Alfa’s V6 is pretty much the same thing only with two cylinders lopped off.

Performance from the engine is staggering, generating more power at 510bhp than the M3’s 437bhp and also more torque at a whopping 600Nm. It sends that power exclusively to the rear axle, via an eight-speed ZF-sourced automatic transmission. Off the line, 62mph arrives in a blistering 3.9 seconds and will peak at an unshackled 191mph.

As I set off eastwards towards the South Down National Park, the brakes felt a bit soft on a cool and greasy autumnal morning. They stayed that way until I could get some useable heat into them and the Pirelli rubber. I was heading for the Surry hills where stupendous roads awaited.

On most ‘performance’ cars, driving modes such as ‘Eco’, ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’ do little more than make the steering and throttle response feel more aggressive – largely at the expense of balance – while creating a perception of performance gains. Not so, on the Alfa.

The standard Giulia offers a choice of progressively more relaxed ‘Dynamic’, ‘Natural’ and ‘Advanced Efficiency’ (DNA, geddit?). However, on the QV you also get ‘Race’ mode, which puts the driver in total control. It minimises the nannying interventions of electronic safety systems such as ESC stability control and ASR traction control. Essentially, you’re pretty much on your own.

This mode dramatically changes the ride quality, driving characteristics and soundtrack of the car, switching between a comfortable and liveable executive saloon, to a vicious, track-ready M3-muncher at the turn of a dial, all in the same car. This almost schizophrenic range of character is perhaps what impressed me the most. It’s not for the feint hearted and requires lots of safe, forgiving open space to really enjoy the car’s capabilities.

As I left the historic market town of Petworth on the A272, I clicked the drive mode from ‘Natural to ‘Dynamic’ mode. With some heat in the engine, brakes and tyres, it was time to see what five billion euros and 800 engineers and designers felt like.

The acceleration is so hard that each lightning fast upward shift from the deliciously oversized flappy paddles felt like a mule kick in the back. The twin turbos wind up 35psi of boost and it’s not until second gear that it rushes in proper. Arriving in a series of braaapps, it’s time for third, fourth, fifth, sixth as scenery screams by. Along a half-mile straight, I brace and slip into ‘Race’ mode. I feel the ‘all change’, but I don’t have time to analyse it. I’m busy draining the blood from my knuckles.

Ahead looms several black and white chevrons indicating a sharp turn to the right. Fortunately, I have clear line-of-sight as the road sweeps left, upward and away. Just ahead of the chevrons, I stand on the brakes, double shift down and ease in the power mid-S as I straight-line the bend. Not so much as a fidget from the Alfa. Nothing. Nada.

As I scrambled through the tightest corners on my way to Wisborough Green, it became clear to me that this was different from the M3. The Beemer feels harder, firmer, more planted…but in a rather coarse way. The Alfa is just as nimble, equally adept but slightly more agile, changing direction without the Beemer’s raw aggression and with more composure from the underpinnings.

The front aero splitter is active in that it lowers at speed to create additional downforce for faster cornering. I’d like to report that I felt the difference, but like I said, I was busy.

The Italian firm has also refined the way the Giulia drives by improving its NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) levels, which affords the car a more calming, soft-edged approach for times when you simply want to settle in, relax and enjoy the drive.

During the week’s test, I spent a total of 10:04 hours driving the car over 317 mixed-road miles at an average speed of 31 mph. The average fuel consumption was recorded at 27.1 mpg, which is slightly less than the official 27.2 mpg (combined WLTP data) for the Giulia Quad.

During my road tests, no attempt is made or conscious effort given to achieving an above-average mpg. However, I do deploy the active/cruise control at most available opportunities.

Euro NCAP gave the Giulia a five-star rating, and this applies to the Quadrifoglio too. Adult protection was especially impressive, with a 98% score. Autonomous emergency braking, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring and lane-departure warning are all fitted as standard. The £1,500 Driver Assistance Pack Plus option adds a driver attention alert warning, traffic jam assistance, intelligent speed control and adaptive cruise control.

Decibellisima! The Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde is a worthy flagship for the Giulia range, which just happens to be the best Alfa Romeo in a generation. It’s not perfect, but that feeling, that exhilaration, that magnificent drive is all that really matters, particularly on a car so heavily stickered with Ferrari fingerprints.

Key Facts as tested: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde

Engine: Front-mounted, 2.9-litre bi-turbo petrol in V6 configuration.

Power /torque: 510 bhp (517PS) @ 6,500 rpm / 600 Nm @ 2,500 rpm.

Transmission: Eight-speed ZF-sourced automatic gearbox to the rear wheels.

RPM at 60/70 mph: 1,550 / 1,850 (drive mode ‘Normal’).

RPM at 60/70 mph: 2,400 / 2,700 (drive mode ‘Dynamic’).

Fuel tank capacity: 58 litres (12.8 Imperial gallons).

Service intervals: Every 12 months or 10,000 miles.

Warranty & roadside assistance: 3 years / unlimited miles.

Review: 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio was first revealed at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, and subsequently shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 2017. To keep it fresh against a myriad of omnipotent rivals, it received a mild refresh for its 2020 model year.

Tested: 2.9-litre, bi-turbo V6, 8-speed automatic, driving both axles.

Stelvio QV starts from £73,195. Stelvio QV as tested: £79,275 (see fitted options below).

Generally, whether it’s Friday the 13th, walking under a ladder, or opening an umbrella indoors, superstitions may seem irrational but there are some people that swear by these enigmatic and unscientific laws of nature. When (nay, if) you begin to understand feng shui and its role in Chinese culture, you can perhaps comprehend the presence of the four-leaf clover in Alfa Romeo’s racing heritage.

Back in the early 20th century, a man named Ugo Sivocci was an Alfa Romeo factory racing driver. After an endless string of bad luck during his races, he decided to ward away his misfortune by painting a four-leaf clover (‘quadrifoglio’ in Italian) onto his racing car. He won the next race…and two more after that.

Fast forward to his next race at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza in September 1923, Ugo was paired with a brand new P1 racing car only just recently built. Complications prevented the four-leaf clover from being painted on the car in time. He went out for a practice run in the new car, crashed, and died, cementing Alfa Romeo’s superstition. His car was carrying number 17, which was never again assigned to Italian racing cars.

Since then, the Quadrifoglio, abbreviated to QV (Quadrifoglio Verde, or green four-leaf clover), has adorned Alfa Romeo’s highest performing vehicles, challenging the likes of BMW’s ‘M’ and Mercedes’ ‘AMG’ models.

I spent just last week with WX20 JYD, a 510bhp 2.9-litre, bi-turbo V6 Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV, presented in attractive Misano Blue (£770), and scribbled quite a few notes in between trying to keep it safely on the black stuff via my lily-white knuckles. G’won, pop the kettle on…

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is a great car to look at. It takes all the best bits of the Alfa Romeo Giulia saloon and adapts them to suit the tastes of SUV buyers. It’s a sporty, muscular design on a par with the Porsche Macan and, perhaps, the Maserati Levante from the class above. If you want your family SUV to turn heads, you can’t do much better than the Stelvio.

For its 2020 model year, Alfa Romeo has given the exterior a very light update which includes new LED rear light clusters with dark lenses and a new glossy black finish adorning the front trilobe and rear badges.

Mopar has also designed an exclusive Quadrifoglio accessories line for the 2020 Stelvio QV, featuring a carbon fibre front grille with “V” insert, mirror caps and rear spoiler. The Stelvio QV also features new 21-inch alloys wheels, seen for the first time on an Alfa Quad.

Alfa Romeo has delved inside the cabin to improve the Stelvio QV’s fortunes. The centre console has been adapted to offer greater tactile and visual impact, while also providing more storage space. There’s a new flat-bottomed, leather trimmed steering wheel and gear stick and customers can now choose to option red or green seat belts over the regular black set.

The way the Italians do interiors is rather special. Once ensconced in the all-encompassing driving seat and with the sports steering wheel in your grasp, you know that the Stelvio QV comes from a country of obsessively keen drivers. The oversized silver flappies mounted behind the wheel allow up or down shifting regardless of where the steering wheel is positioned, but they did tend to intrude on the stalk-mounted switchgear behind them.

Space itself is decent with even those most finicky of drivers certain to find a driving position that suits. On-board kit like satnav, Bluetooth and other bits and bobs are easy to fathom, the switchgear itself feels chunky and everything is laid out well, though certain interior trim pieces are, frankly, so-so. However, you quickly forget that once you press that bright red starter button.

Alfa Romeo improved the Stelvio’s infotainment system for 2020. The same 8.8-inch screen from last year’s model carries over, only now it’s a touchscreen – though you can still control it with the rotary dial as well. The screen itself gets better graphics, more configurable widgets and faster processing to go along with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Generally speaking, it all looks neat and is very easy to use.

The Italian firm has also refined the way the Stelvio feels to drive by improving its NVH – noise, harshness and vibration – levels, which affords the car a more calming, soft-edged approach for times when you simply want to settle in, relax and enjoy the drive.

Boot space stands at 525 litres whichever Stelvio model you choose, and the optional (proper) spare wheel only reduces this by 26 litres. Folding the rear seats frees up 1,600 litres of space. It’s actually a little more than the Porsche Macan, which promises 500 litres and 1,500 litres respectively. The tailgate opens to bumper height, too, so there’s no bulky sill over which to load cumbersome or heavy items.

Every Stelvio sold in the UK has a pretty comprehensive specification. The Stelvio QV heads a range of five trim models; ‘Super’, Sprint’, Lusso Ti’ and ‘Veloce’. Range-entry cars gets 18-inch wheels, dual-zone climate control, a reversing camera, a powered tailgate and the Alfa Connect infotainment system mentioned above.

On the Stelvio QV, there’s lots of other equipment, including leather seats, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, automatic headlights and wipers. Automatic emergency braking, blind-spot detection and the aforementioned lane departure warning are also standard.

As is the norm, automotive brands are prone to taking the opportunity to show off their press cars to their very best ability by specifying a number of (mostly suitable, but sometimes not) optional extras to their press fleet models.

This week’s press car is no exception as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV was fitted with a ‘Driver Assistance Plus Pack’ costing £1,500, which includes lane keep assist, active cruise control, highway assist system, traffic sign recognition, traffic jam assist, active blind spot assist, driver attention assist, and intelligent speed control). On a car costing over £73,000, one would reasonably expect all of that to be included in the price. 

Also fitted to the test car were a chunky QV sports steering wheel (£425), hands-free tailgate (seriously, an additional £250?), Harman Kardon audio system (£595) and electric panoramic roof (£1,250).

Behind that signature Scudetto front grill and under the bright blue Misano Blue bonnet, you’ll find the crown jewel of the modern Alfa Romeo line-up, a sonorous, all-aluminum 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 derived from the F154 engine in the Ferrari California T.

Essentially, it’s Ferrari’s old V8 engine produced since 2013 – with two cylinders lobbed off, and it makes quite a ruckus – especially in ‘Race’ mode. Unlike the rear-wheel drive Giulia Quadrifoglio, this powertrain had to be revised to fit the all-wheel drive Q4 system underpinning the Stelvio.

The numbers remain unchanged though, offering a stonking (not a technical term) 510bhp and 600Nm of torque, delivered to all four wheel via a ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission. The result is one of the most spectacularly athletic and livid performance SUVs to date.

There is no other SUV that drives quite like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. The 510-horsepower, Ferrari-sourced, twin-turbocharged V6 is one of the best engines available anywhere. It revs with ferocity and delivers a linear burst of power, launching the Stelvio to 62 miles per hour in a ludicrous 3.8 seconds. The changes from the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission arrive with blisteringly speed when driven hard and the throaty braaaap that comes from the quad exhaust tips is grin-inducing.

The way the Stelvio handles is simply epic. The steering is hyper-reactive and perfectly weighted – in fact, it’s technically identical to what you get in the Giulia QV – which means you can fling the Quad into a corner aggressively and it responds with perfect form.

With the drive select poised on ‘normal’, the suspension is on the stiff side, but that yields spirited handling in the corners, and there’s very little body roll to note. The Stelvio Quad feels a lot like a raised Giulia Quad because essentially it is – and that’s a great thing!

I managed about two miles of light green-laning. At this time of year, overgrown tracks tend to have an excessive number of naked, untrimmed branches sticking out, which makes them very unfriendly to a car costing over £73,000. Needless to say, I didn’t traverse too far down my usual off-road test track. Still, what little I did – including a deepish muddy section – was handled with aplomb.

The test car was fitted with hill-control decent so I imagine it would have little trouble over more challenging terrain.

During the week’s test, I spent a total of 10:25 hours driving the car over a total of 307 mixed-road miles at an average speed of 29 mph. The average fuel consumption was recorded at 24.1 mpg, which is slightly less than the official 24.6 mpg (combined WLTP data) for the Stelvio QV.

During my road tests, no attempt is made or conscious effort given to achieving an above-average mpg. I do, however, deploy the active/cruise control given the opportunity.

The regular Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV was awarded a five-star Euro NCAP rating when tested in 2017 due to its range of safety features.

Every Stelvio comes standard with automatic emergency braking for 2020, and new (optional) safety features include traffic-sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring. All of that – plus things like automatic high-beam assist and driver attention alert – are available as part of the aforementioned £1,500 Driver Assistance Plus pack.

The Stelvio’s adaptive cruise control system is advanced – it maintains a steady pace to the car in front, keeps the Stelvio centred in the lane and brakes seamlessly all the way down to zero. 

The Stelvio Quadrifoglio may not be the most visually pleasing or tech-friendly SUV on the market but it’s definitely one of the most emotionally stimulating.

The Stelvio QV is everything you would expect from an Alfa Romeo and the antithesis to the boring SUV stereotype, of which there are all too many. The Stelvio QV has got the charm and performance numbers to match, too and there’s something about the way the Alfa drives that transforms it from being just a commuter appliance to a sentient soul with sonorous vocals and a rampant stallion of an engine.

While the regular four-cylinder Stelvio didn’t exactly live up to its famous Stelvio Pass namesake, the Quadrifoglio fulfils that daunting claim and is an SUV worthy of carving up all 48 of its switchbacks – and with a soundtrack to match.

Ugo was right. That four-leaf clover works wonders.

Key Facts as tested: Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Verde

Transmission: Eight-speed ZF-sourced automatic gearbox to both axles.

Fuel tank capacity: 64 litres (14 Imperial gallons).

Review: 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Verde

The cancellation of this year’s Geneva Motor Show following the coronavirus outbreak has given rise to a new phenomenon – the ‘virtual’ motor show.

The cancellation of this year’s Geneva Motor Show following the coronavirus outbreak has given rise to a new phenomenon – the ‘virtual’ motor show. Rather than unveiling their latest models on a stand full of journalists, manufacturers streamed their own ‘digital’ press conferences to show off their new products. From this flurry of launches, Driver Buddy brings you ten of the big reveals… 

Alfa Romeo’s Giulia saloon was a long-awaited return to form for the Italian brand, so the prospect of a lighter, more powerful version is mouth-watering indeed. The Giulia GTA gets a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 that produces 533bhp, an increase of 30bhp over the Giulia Quadrifoglio, while a 100kg weight reduction has trimmed the GTA’s total mass to 1520kg. A stripped out GTAm version, with a roll bar replacing the rear seats and more extreme aerodynamics, is also available.

The Spring Electric Concept previews what Dacia claims will be “Europe’s most affordable all-electric vehicle.” The production version will have a range of over 124 miles when it is launched in the first half of 2021. Not only will it be Dacia’s first electric car, it will also be the first city car in the Dacia range.

For hot hatch fans, the eighth generation Golf GTI was the big news from VW’s press conference. The new model is powered by a 242bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Design highlights include an illuminated radiator grille and fog lights integrated into the honeycomb air intake. Also joining the Golf line-up are the hybrid GTE (with an identical power output to the GTI) and the diesel-powered GTD.

Traditionally, a new Golf GTI would be one of VW’s most important model launches. But given current market trends, arguably the company’s biggest announcement was that it will be launching its first electric SUV later this year. Called the ID.4, it is based on the same MEB platform as the electric ID.3 hatchback, and has a claimed range of up to 310 miles.

Extra power probably isn’t something the McLaren 720S needed, but that’s what this new ‘Longtail’ version gets. Its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 now produces 755bhp and 590lb ft of torque, propelling the 765LT from 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds and 0-124mph in 7.2 seconds. It should make quite a noise, too, thanks to a quad-exit titanium exhaust system that contributes to an overall weight saving of 80kg. Despite these impressive numbers, McLaren’s chief test driver Kenny Brack claims the 765LT is “not all about performance,” with linear and predictable dynamics helping to create a “natural and seamless” feel to the way it drives.

The Porsche 911 Turbo S is known for its blend of performance and usability, and the latest 992 generation looks set to continue that trend. Available as a Coupe and Cabriolet, it has a 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat six generating 641bhp. With an eight speed PDK gearbox and all-wheel drive, the Turbo S should have no problem making the most of that power, as demonstrated by its 0-62mph time of 2.7 seconds.

Koenigsegg claims to have created the world’s first “Mega-GT” with its latest creation, the Gemera. It’s a genuine four-seater with – wait for it – 1700bhp and 2581lb ft of torque. Generating those enormous figures is a hybrid powertrain comprising a 2.0-litre twin-turbo three-cylinder engine and three electric motors. Yet the Gemera is also practical, with a range of 621 miles (including 31 miles on electric power alone) and space for four full-size carry-on suitcases. Not only that, the Gemera’s environmental credentials can match those of a full EV – when running on the right renewable fuel, it’s capable of being CO2 neutral.

According to Christian von Koenigsegg, founder of the company which bears his name, the Jesko Absolut is “the fastest Koenigsegg we will ever endeavour to make.” The company currently holds the official record for the fastest production car of all time with the Agera RS, which achieved an average speed of 277.9mph. Koenigsegg has not revealed exactly how fast he thinks the Jesko Absolut could go, only saying the car has the potential to reach “unheard-of speed in record-setting pace.”

Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s (FCA) first electric car is the third generation Fiat 500. Sold exclusively with electric propulsion, the new 500 has a range of 199 miles. Using an 85kW fast charger, the batteries can be replenished to 80% capacity in 35 minutes. The Fiat 500 is also the first car from FCA to feature the group’s new connected infotainment system, which Fiat brand President Olivier Francois says is “iPhone fast.”

AIWAYS will be the first Chinese brand to bring an electric vehicle to Europe when sales of its U5 SUV start in August. However, the company’s operating model is perhaps just as interesting as the car itself. They plan to adopt an online, direct-to-consumer approach for sales, and will establish a network of partners to take care of test drives, servicing and other customer-facing activities.

'Virtual' Geneva Motor Show - The Big Reveals

Tag: alfa romeo

Review: 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde

Review: 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Verde

'Virtual' Geneva Motor Show - The Big Reveals

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