This car sports 375kW from a V6 ‘with Ferrari technologies’, meaning 0-100kph in just 3.9 seconds. And Alfa claims it’ll handle like Alfas of old, with 50:50 weight distribution, ‘the most direct steering on the market’ and an emphasis on sporting fun rather than Teutonic stodge.

In a surprise twist, Alfa has revealed that the new Giulia will use lightweight materials including composites – usually the preserve of more expensive cars. The new BMW 7 Series has only just introduced carbonfibre-reinforced plastic elements in the luxury bracket, but the Italians are now using carbonfibre and aluminium in the compact exec set.

The new Giulia will kickstart a product renewal programme which could launch nine new cars by the end of the decade in a bid to boost sales to 400,000 by 2018. The revelation was published in the January 2015 issue of CAR magazine. In it, our European editor Georg Kacher interviewed Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester, who spelled out his vision for the rejuvenated Italian car maker.

It marks the end of a painfully long wait for new products; most Alfas have withered on the vine, leaving just two core model lines on sale in the UK today, or three if you include the 4C sports car. No wonder sales have dived to around 68,000 a year. This car has to succeed if Wester's plan is to stand any chance of succeeding.

And Alfa crossovers, sports cars and execs are coming too

Following the new 2015 Giulia comes the next Giulietta in 2016. It too switches to the rear-wheel drive format, making it more of a BMW 1-series hatchback rival. Four-wheel drive will be optional on more powerful models, as with most Alfas.

The Mito supermini bites the bullet; instead, Alfa Romeo plans to stretch upwards into BMW 5-series territory, with a model twinned with the Ghibli and stretching to 4.9m long