[Magnus]

Alessandro Maccolini, Alfa Romeo's chief designer, has defended the Giulia against criticisms that the new Alfa Romeo sedan takes design cues from the BMW 3-Series.

He said that they "took inspiration from our past, specifically from the 156." He made this statement while making a speech to the car design community in Mantova, Italy.

He can say what he wants, but what do you guys think? Here is a comparison shot below, and I also have a picture of the 156 down there as well.

 

[Vinales]

yes I believe him. Who is saying it looks like a 3er, never heard these detractions...

 

[groundforce]

156 probably helped to form the foundation for the design but i bet they looked to the competition to see what styling cues they are using and worked that into the design.

 

[ShinyAndChrome]

They're both aiming for the sporty sedan segment so a few similarities aren't that uncommon and it's not likely that Alfa Romeo will admit to taking design cues from their competitor even if it was true.
Personally don't see all that many similarities between the Giulia and the 156.

 

[groundforce]

They won't, even car makers that make it seem obvious, like Hyundai in the past, along with Kia... they didn't. THey'll always deny and for the most part that's how it works in business until a lawsuit hits your desk. But that last part is not where near going to happen. I guess it's just part of how vehicles of this era are designed.

 

[Magnus]

I agree that they deny it whether it happened or not. The fact is, the designers looked at the 3-Series because its their greatest rival. They may not have copied it, or actively taken cues from it, but to think that the Giulia designers were blind to the 3-Series and weren't influenced by it in any way is delusional.

I also think that there are design influences that span the industry. It is a trend. It is what people like in sedans right now. It is a common liking in the public, and so it is a common feature in vehicles.

 

[groundforce]

That was going to be my next point, looking at what they're up against is almost always a must, it's what you can expect from just about any company out there coming out with a new product. They at least want to be relevant and then to stay one step ahead.

 

[Poseidon]

Alfa Romeo is the brand with the richest design pedigree in the automotive history, many brands like BMW,Mazda,Audi and others copied style cues from Alfa Romeo.
According to Lorenzo Ramaciotti there are 5 cars that most inspired Giulia's design, the 1938 Alfa 8C 2900b berlinetta aerodinamica Le Mans, the 1957 Giulietta Sprint Speciale, the 1964 Giulia Canguro prototipo, the 1965 Giulia TZ2 and the 1997 Alfa 156.

 

[groundforce]

Can't get over how killer it looks in that photo. One concerning thing which was ride height seems to no longer be an issue, that sort of ground clearance will be enough for where I drive, even over some steep speed humps.

 

[Magnus]

Yea, I think that people just get defensive when a new car comes out, and it has anything similar to something they like. They see it as a copy. Cars in the same class will always have similarities though. People just like to find things to complain about.

 

[groundforce]

Yea, I think that people just get defensive when a new car comes out, and it has anything similar to something they like. They see it as a copy. Cars in the same class will always have similarities though. People just like to find things to complain about.

That's probably the case, i've noticed with new designs and just about anything new it take time for some people to get used to it and to actually like the thing rather than pointing out what they don't like

 

[Magnus]

Also, its hard to connect the Giulia to a generation before so you have to connect it to other vehicles. Once there is a second generation, then you have a starting point with which to measure differences.