Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio Petrol V6 Future Takes Shape

By statute, Alfa stories must open with an Italian outburst. So: mamma mia, the petrol Quadrifoglio survives! Bravissimo! And so on. Until not long ago, Alfa intended for the forthcoming Giulia and Stelvio to be exclusively electric. That plan has now shifted, according to chief executive Santo Ficili. With tariff disruption and the EV transition progressing slowly, the company needs to retain flexibility. “There will be PHEV and HEV and BEV.”

He adds: “My dream is to keep alive the Quadrifoglio. We can’t forget this. Quadrifoglio can be BEV, why not? But it can also be ICE.” Viva the V6.

Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio powertrain plans

The electric Alfa models will arrive first: the Stelvio is due at the end of this year, followed by the Giulia, with mainstream versions preceding the Quadrifoglio models. They may feature up to 800V electrical systems for rapid charging, large battery packs for extended range, and either rear-mounted or dual-motor powertrains.

Ficili says a late redesign of the front end is under way, ensuring there are sufficient cooling openings for petrol power units. “The design must be in line with the other models that we want to launch.”

How can Alfa create cars that feel distinct within the vast Stellantis Group? “I think the Alfa Romeo brand is Italy, is red or rosso in Italian, and is sport. Italian. Red. Sport. We need to find the right balance between these three. What I want for the product is Alfa Romeo only.”

According to Ficili, design comes first in defining that Alfa identity. “When you look at the car, you must understand immediately it is an Alfa. And the driver must have everything under control. So I’m not imagining tonnes of things around you that don’t help.

“We need the right balance between suspension, steering, absorption, exhaust and engines to find the right handling of the car.”

Alfa Romeo sales and the Junior crossover

Yet the brand faces a difficulty: sales remain persistently low. Alfa promoted the Tonale and Junior as models that would lift volumes, given the current market’s appetite for small and compact crossovers. In reality, however, Alfa’s monthly sales match those of five years ago, when the MiTo and Giulietta were approaching the end of their lives.

I say that I have lost track of the previous Alfa bosses who promised to double sales, only for volumes to decline instead. “We need to keep the customers who are in love with Alfa – and there is a long queue, because of the legacy, the racing, the glory, the product we created in the past.”

Fair enough, but why are the people supposedly waiting in that queue not purchasing its cars? And how can Alfa generate excitement among those unfamiliar with that history? “Junior is the right model to satisfy younger people. A bridge between new customers and the older Alfisti.” He says it is performing well. The Tonale, meanwhile, made a strong start before losing momentum and will receive a major facelift late this year.

Together with the next Stelvio and Giulia, that should give Alfa’s line-up a freshness it has lacked for a considerable time. Nevertheless, Alfa will remain a small brand. “We aren’t BMW.” Quite. BMW offers a far broader range and sells 20 times as many cars as Alfa. Alfa, though, is a small element of the enormous Stellantis Group, giving it access to considerable synergies. Its task is to ensure its cars stand apart from those of related marques.

Quadrifoglio specials and future Alfa sports cars

To keep the Alfa spirit alive, the firm intends to produce further high-end special models such as the 33 Stradale once its two-year production run has finished. “If I can also search for synergies with Maserati, we can imagine for sure to make products like this. We had the 8C, 6C, 4C. It’s easy. Why? Because I can look in the past of Alfa Romeo.”

However, each example costs £1.7m. I suggest that, if Alfa is to build fairly conventional small crossovers such as the Junior, it must justify its name with more distinctive cars priced less extremely than the 33. Ficili says the 33 will influence future design. “We can consider parts of this design, and move from these to the future models.”

Between 1950 and 2010, Alfa produced numerous beautiful and comparatively attainable coupés and spiders. “There is space to work in the smaller segments: coupe, spider. But this is not our priority now, because now we need the models that can deliver volume that can sustain the brand.”

There is simply too much instability and uncertainty to indulge in launching low-volume cars. “We need to consider the two years ahead that are not so clear. And then we’ll see.”