Alfa Romeo will launch a new large electric saloon in 2027, Imparato has confirmed, as it continues a strategy of releasing a new car every year for the next five years.
The BMW 5 Series rival will be a global model and therefore sold in the UK, but it will target the US and China in particular on account of its size. Despite the demand for large SUVs surging in recent years, said Jean-Philippe Imparato Alfa Romeo CEO.
“Knowing the DNA of Alfa Romeo is saloons and sportiness, the answer will probably not be an SUV. I want to reinvent sportiness for the 21st century, providing a high level of range and a high level of performance while also protecting the customer in terms of roominess but without destroying the aerodynamics, which is a key driver of our future development.
“At some point in time, we will have to evolve the concept of what an SUV is in 2027. But for me, aero means a saloon [of sorts] which ties into Alfa Romeo’s DNA.”
Talking about creating a car with the US market in mind, Imparato said: “I highly value that we’re selling cars in America and China and Asia. If I want to be consistent in going premium and going global, then I have to be present in the premium E-segment.”
While Imparato has said the BMW 3 Series-rivalling Alfa Romeo Giulia, the firm's only existing saloon, will live on, this new model will be bigger in size rather than a direct replacement, given the demand in the US for significantly larger cars than those sold in Europe.
In the brand’s nearer future, the crucial plug-in hybrid variant of the Alfa Romeo Tonale will arrive in November, and a small electric SUV will arrive in 2024 – another model that’s crucial for volume sales.
Talking about Alfa Romeo’s success as Stellantis announced its half-year results, Imparato confirmed that the Italian firm had made the same profit in the first half of this year as it did for all of last year, standing it in good stead to prove its worth within the Stellantis empire.
“Giulia and Stelvio sales are up, which is important to me,” said Imparato. “This is a test of our resilience in a shaky market with so many headwinds. That’s before we launched the Tonale. Now we have the Tonale and we’re facing new market conditions. We will see if we’re resilient in our performance in the next six months.
“I want to be the global premium brand of Stellantis. If I want to be this level, I must be competitive on profit per unit against the market and around my colleagues. That is how I become credible and get the investment from Carlos [Tavares, Stellantis CEO] to feed my product line to 2030 and beyond.”
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2027! Wow it takes Alfa Romeo an awfully long time to launch anything, Its ok though, this definietly sounds like a "5 Year Plan" so expect it to be cancelled.
If you've travelled to Italy recently you'll be shocked by how view Alfa's and Fiats are now sold. Alfa are in the same boat as Jaguar. Trying to take on BMW will be a huge uphill challenge, though they have the advantage of the vast Stellantis dealer network and economies of scale.
Jaguar seem to be trying to be more like Porsche. This seems a sensible plan given the size of their dealer network and the economies of scale they have to work to. I just wonder if Alfa will survive or if they will end up in the same place as Jaguar.
I'm sure this will be competent and look nothing like Autocar's sketch. But why would anyone buy an expensive Alfa Romeo when very similar versions of this model will be sold by other Stellantis brands at a lower price and from much more trusted dealerships? Or if the Alfa truly is a unique product, then it will be totally unaffordable, or cancelled at the last minute.
The sad fact is people no longer recognise the Alfa brand and those that do don't trust it.