Q-System is a transmission option offered on many late-model Alfa Romeo passenger vehicles. It was first offered in early 1999 as an alternative to Manual and Automatic Transmissions.
The Q-System is based in part on the Tiptronic Manual-Override Automatic which means that it will automatically shift as a normal manual would, but has an option to behave much as a clutchless manual in that the user can select gears themselves if they desire. There are also three special performance modes, City, Sport and Ice. These are selected via pushbutton and adjust the gear, shift and power distribution behaviors to certain conditions.
Where the Q-System differs from the majority of other "Manual Automatics" is that instead of "next gear"/"previous gear" selection pattern (via nudging the shifter left and right or up and down while in a special position), the manual override portion of the Q-system is a standard H Gate layout familiar to all those who have driven a manual transmission. Also unlike others, due to the manual override design the Q-System does not override your choices while in the "manual" mode so it is not as "idiot proof" as a some other Tiptronic implementations, though many performance buffs would consider it to offer greater control.