Alfa Romeo is the latest brand to save petrol power, announcing that not only will its Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV continue until 2027, but also revive its high performance Quadrifoglio models.
At a presentation in Italy overnight, Autocar reports Alfa Romeo made the announcement that it would extend the production life of the Giulia and Stelvio, both of which date back to 2015 and were set to be replaced by a pair of EVs next year.
The latter switch is no longer occurring, with Autocar reporting the next-generation models will become hybrids, which are experiencing higher demand in the wider market than full electric vehicles.
The publication reports the new Stelvio will continue to be underpinned by the STLA Large platform, which will likely find its way under the next Giulia. Currently the new Dodge Charger is the only model running on the architecture.
Alfa Romeo had previously walked back its plans to go EV-only by 2027, while earlier this year an executive said he couldn’t see the flagship Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio going electric.
According to Autocar, that’s not happening either, and the production line for the twin-turbo V6-powered performance models will restart in April next year, after being closed last month.
“We’re also bringing back the Quadrifoglio versions of both the Giulia and Stelvio,” Alfa Romeo’s UK boss Jules Tilstone told Autocar.
While new Euro 7 emissions standards are set to come into effect next year - with a focus on non-exhaust emissions such as brake dust and tyre particles, as well as a reduction in engine emissions - Tilstone said “the powertrains will be effectively the same”.
Before exiting production, the twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 engines under the bonnets of the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio produced 375kW and 600Nm, roughly on par with the BMW M3 and X3M rivals.
