ALFA Romeo is adding to its Giulia range with the Veloce which is being fitted with a new 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine.

The new Veloce will sit between the Giulia Speciale and flagship Giulia Quadrifoglio in the line-up.

It comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel-drive and the new engine generates 280bhp taking it from 0 to 62mph in just 5.7seconds and on to a top speed of 149mph.

Produced in the Fiat factory at Termoli, Italy, Alfa Romeo claims the new engine returns 46.3mpg on the combined cycle and emits 141g/km CO2.

The Veloce shares the sports exterior styling of the Speciale, including sports bumpers, black gloss window surround and rear sports diffuser with dual exhausts, but adds 18-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels and coloured brake callipers.

Misano blue paint is available as an option exclusively on the car and the Giulia Veloce also comes with a choice of black, tan or red Italian leather sport seats and aluminium shift paddles on the steering column.

Standard equipment includes front and rear parking sensors, headlamp washers and upgraded braking system with larger diameter front and rear brake discs on top of dual-zone climate control, Alfa's DNA driving mode selector and an 8.8-inch Alfa Connect infotainment system.

Achieving a five-star Euro NCAP rating and 98 per cent score for passenger safety, all models in the Giulia range includes forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian recognition, lane departure warning, integrated braking system and cruise control with speed limiter.

The Giulia Veloce available to order now and is priced from £37,935.

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