Alfa has added self shifting gearboxes right across its 159 range and introduced a new entry-level diesel model to meet the rapidly growing demand for diesel-powered cars in Australia. 
The all-new six speed Q-Tronic electronic automatic gearbox is available as an option with the 2.4 JTD turbo diesel engine and the 3.2 litre V6 JTS engine, while the new 159 JTD 1.9 Turbo Diesel is fitted with the Q-Tronic automatic range as standard. The 159 2.2 JTS is now available with an option Selespeed sequential manual gearbox, providing drivers with the choice of letting the gearbox change the gears or doing it manual via steering wheel-mounted paddles or with the gearshift leaver. Over the first generation Selespeed, which was most popular variant of the Alfa 156, the new-generation Selespeed allows the driver to select ‘Sport’ mode in both manual shifting and automatic operating, as well as using new software and hardware for quicker, smoother and more responsive operation. For the first time this software is also adaptive to the driver’s style behind the wheel.
Prices for the new versions range from a recommended retail price of $52,990 for the new 159 2.2 JTS Selespeed, through $54,990 for the 159 1.9 JTD and $58,990 for the 2.4 litre diesel 159 with the Q-Tronic gearbox, to the V6 powered 159 with the Q-Tronic automatic gearbox is the new range-topping Alfa 159 with a recommended retail price of $77,990.
“Although the sales of the Alfa 159 have more than met our expectations since its launch in Australia in June last year, we have always known that, given the Australian market’s skew to automatics, it would not achieve its full potential until the Q-Tronic and Selespeed versions arrived,” says David Stone, General Manager for Alfa in Australia. “The Q-Tronic new gearbox marks a significant market shift for Alfa. Not only do we now have a state-of-the-art gearbox, with six gears, fuzzy-logic operation and Tiptronic-style gear selection, it is also available across most of the range and to further enhance this position we have added an extra diesel model to the range, with the acclaimed 1.9 litre JTD power unit. The Selespeed version was the most popular 156 variant and we expect the 159 Selespeed to account for the majority of 2.2 JTS sales.”
“We ended 2006 on a high note, lifting Alfa sales in a shrinking market and we fully expect the arrival of the Q-Tronic equipped versions of the 159 to maintain this growth through 2007,” says Mr Stone.
Source: Italiancar.net
