Alfa Romeo sharpens its claws

THE price of entry to Alfa Romeo's GTV Coupe will drop below the $50,000 mark once the GST takes effect on July 1.

The suave coupe will be priced at $49,950, which means it will be positioned not too far above the likes of the Toyota Celica ZR and Honda Prelude VTi-R.

The new price represents a saving of $12,040 compared with the GTV's current ask of $61,990, but the post-GST model does not come with alloy wheels or leather upholstery - both of which are presently standard.

Nevertheless, it will still have dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, remote central locking, power windows and mirrors, a CD stereo, cloth-trimmed sports seats, climate control air-conditioning and tinted glass.

Its 114kW 2.0-litre Twin Spark engine will remain unchanged.

Alfa Romeo claims the GTV can accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in 8.4 seconds, on its way to a maximum speed of 215km/h.

The range-topping GTV V6 24V will also be treated to a significant post-GST price cut - from $79,500 to $69,950 - but it, too, will not be as well equipped as before.

Nevertheless, the GTV V6 will retain a Momo handcrafted leather interior, alloy wheels and a prominent rear wing.

The flagship coupe derives its power from a potent 3.0-litre quad-cam V6 engine that pumps out 162kW. Power is relayed to the front wheels by a six-speed manual gearbox.

Alfa Romeo says the GTV V6 has a top speed in excess of 250km/h and can sprint from standstill to 100km/h in just 6.7 seconds.

The Italian car-maker will also add the value-added 156 Monza to its range on July 1.

Available on all three versions of the 156 - Twin Spark, Selespeed and V6 24V - the Monza package adds 16-inch alloy wheels with low-profile tyres, a hand-crafted Italian leather interior, side skirts, leather steering wheel and gearknob and red-on-black instrumentation.

The GST pricing of the 156 Monza starts at $47,990, rising to $50,850 for the Selespeed version.

Topping the range is the 156 V6 24V Monza, priced at $59,800.

Alfa Romeo has enjoyed healthy sales so far this year, with 634 cars sold until the end of May - compared with 544 for the same period last year.

Sales of the GTV 2.0-litre have slumped from 17 to 4 units, but the post-GST price cut should help restore its popularity.