Alfa Romeo CEO Says The Brand Isn’t Abandoning Cars For UVs

Despite Alfa Romeo’s recent launch of the compact Tonale and the announcement of the subcompact Milano, the brand’s CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato, told Autocar in a recent article that they have no plans to abandon passenger cars.

While Dodge looks to move towards a more fastback hatch design for its all-new Charger Daytona, Alfa Romeo’s upcoming all-new battery-electric (BEV) Giulia is expected to retain its traditional four-door sedan profile. Imparato told Autocar it will remain a four-door sedan “despite the fact that the segment is suffering.” The Giulia will be one of two new D-segment vehicles moving to electrification, with the popular Stelvio being the other.

However, the Giulia might be the only sedan in the expanding lineup for Alfa Romeo. With the introduction of the Milano, the portfolio will have three utility vehicles (UVs), with another, an all-new E-segment UV rumored to be related to the next-generation Grand Cherokee and Durango, expected to arrive in 2027.

Autocar also asked the Alfa Romeo boss if he believes it is essential for the brand to sell non-UV models. “I strongly believe that when you speak about electrification, you speak about aero, and when you speak about aero, you speak about ‘Berlina,’ or sedan,” he responded. “This type of silhouette will come back. I don’t want to become an SUV brand, even if the world is switching to SUVs.”

Chrysler CEO Chris Feuell made a similar statement at a Reuters automotive event last month in Detroit. “It made me kind of sad to see a lot of the OEMs walking away from the car segment,” Feuell expressed. “And if you think about what customers are looking for in an EV, yes, they want range. They want accessible charging. They want something that’s affordable. And from my perspective, I think we’ll see a resurgence in the car segment.”

Imparato hinted again at plans to revive two of Alfa’s best-known historical models for the electric era: “You will have a Giulia in the Alfa Romeo range – and not only that, because the next steps we are working on are: what is the answer to the GTV, and what could be the answer to the Duetto? But as it is not locked and validated for the moment, I don’t want to elaborate on that.”

Based on the STLA Large architecture, just like the new Charger Daytona, the all-new Giulia will be equipped with an 800-volt electrical architecture. This means that with available fast charging, a Giulia BEV could charge from 10% to 80% in about 18 minutes. “We don’t want you to spend hours charging your car,” Imparato said.

Source: Autocar