Italian legacy automaker Alfa Romeo recently outlined details of its upcoming all-electric segment in which its CEO said it intends to bolster sales in North America, expressing the need to “transfer the concept of performance” to its EVs. To do so, however, Alfa Romeo believes it needs something bigger and all-electric to attract US consumers, stating that it’s working on an SUV to compete with the BMW X5.
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automaker with over 110 years of experience, particularly in motorsports and racing, although it currently describes itself as a luxury car manufacturer. The brand has seen its fair share of ups and downs in its century-plus-long history and is currently a subsidiary of Stellantis following the FCA merger in 2021.
Since the late 1990s, Alfa Romeo’s sales have been down overall apart from a few upward trending years here and there. To combat this, company CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato announced the automaker will launch a new model every year between 2022 and 2026, vowing to go entirely electric by 2027.
This new lineup of Alfa Romeo models will start with the Tonale plug-in hybrid, which has faced several delays but will finally launch in the US market in Q2 of this year. With only three vehicles available in the US and only one (somewhat) electrified, it’s tough to truly stand out.
According to Alfa Romeo’s CEO however, performance luxury EVs donning the cross of the municipality and the Visconti serpent emblem are expected to help the Italian automaker boost US sales while competing with the big dogs like BMW.
Alfa Romeo’s Tonale PHEV arriving in the US later this year / Source: Stellantis
Alfa Romeo plans 3 BEVs for US including X5 competitor
During a launch event for the Tonale in Japan, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato told Automotive News that the company must enter the E-segment in North America. The goal of this global expansion is to generate at least 40% of the automaker’s sales from outside of Europe by 2030. For comparison, that number was a mere 18% in 2021.
The plan is to make sportiness “the hallmark of its coming EVs,” according to Imparato, who relayed an emphasis on aerodynamics and high performance in order to compete against other EV automakers. He mentioned 800V charging, offering times of 18 minutes max, plus motor outputs between 350 and 1,000 horsepower.
Alfa Romeo’s first BEV model is scheduled to arrive in 2024 (an all-electric 4C perhaps?), followed by its first dedicated EV model in 2025. However, the Alfa Romeo CEO looks to capture a larger chunk of the US market in 2027 when its next all-electric flagship model arrives.
He described the EV as a competitor to the BMW X5, stating that its body shape and design will be developed in the coming year. He added that the new model doesn’t necessarily have to be a crossover and will be bigger than the Stelvio.
Alfa Romeo sold less than 13,000 cars in the US in 2022, so it better get a move on.
Keyword: Alfa Romeo hopes to grow US sales by delivering new EVs that will compete with BMW