(January 29, 2012) Sometime in this decade Alfa Romeo vehicles are likely to be sold in North America, but for now the Chrysler/Fiat brand is still confined to Europe. Alfa Romeo's latest television commercial, "Test Me,'" launched this month in a year-long marketing campaign focused on highlighting the "rational reasons" why people should buy an Alfa Romeo.

With impressive UK sales figures recorded in 2011 for the Italian marque, Alfa Romeo’s marketing initiative draws on direct comparisons between the brand’s latest products — MiTo and Giulietta —against its closest competitors to emphasize why more and more people are choosing an Alfa Romeo.

The ‘Test Me’ campaign combines TV, print and digital advertising with direct mail and extensive showroom activity. Along with a dedicated website www.alfaromeo.co.uk/testme, Alfa Romeo compares the fuel efficiency, safety, technology and environmental benefits of its newest models against Volkswagen, Audi and BMW.

Alfa Romeo says head-to-head examples display Alfa Romeo’s advantages:

   •  The Alfa Giulietta 1.4 TB MultiAir 170 horsepower ALFA TCT (semi-automatic transmission) is currently best-in-class for CO2 emissions at just 121 g/km against the Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI.
    • The Alfa MiTo 1.3 JTDM-2 85 horsepower Sprint possesses fuel efficiency of up to 80.7 mpg (European) on a combined cycle. The Mini One D achieves 74.3 mpg.
    • The Alfa Giulietta, with a class leading Euro NCAP crash safety score of 106, is superior to the new  BMW 1 Series score of 103.
    • All MiTo and Giulietta models offer three years complimentary servicing — only available at additional cost on VW Polo and Golf models.

“Customers appreciate the stylish lines and sleek design of an Alfa Romeo, but due to preconceived misconceptions, some turn to our competitors, wrongly believing they offer a better proposition," said Damien Dally, head of brand for Alfa Romeo UK.

“With the new ‘Test Me’ campaign, we can prove that Alfa Romeo offers customers significantly more than the likes of our key German competitors, together with Alfa’s passion, heritage and design flair inherent in every model."