Just as televison’s Alf came back in Pog form, beloved badges often return to manufacturer lineups in the 2020s as SUVs. Even coupes, like the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Ford Puma, have not proven not immune from the treatment. Alfa Romeo CEO Santo Filici reportedly says that the brand is bucking that trend, although it is doing so by returning to a standby of the last decade: A hatchback with the name of a historic sedan.
The returning car is the Giulietta, a badge first sold for two generations in the 1950s through ‘80s as a sporty, rear-wheel drive sedan before being shelved for decades. It came back in 2010 as a compact hatchback that shared an FCA architecture with the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart, and it is that version set to be revived soon.
In a roundtable interview, Car magazine quotes Filici as saying that the brand will build the revived Giulietta on the new STLA One architecture. That should make it a close relative of the Dodge GLH, a hot hatch that should effectively serve as the American equivalent to the Alfa. Don’t expect the two to be identical, though; Filici says that his brand needs to “change everything connected to the platform” in order to make the Giulietta more of an Alfa Romeo. That means, according to him, “suspension, steering wheel, wheels, brakes. First of all brakes, and then the interior and design.”
While the Giulietta is described by Car as a hatchback, the report mentions that the new model would be positioned between the last-generation hatch and Alfa’s newest compact crossover. That means the model could sit somewhere on the larger crossover spectrum, although the report claims that Filici is apparently “adamant” that the small Alfa “will not be identifiable as an SUV.” In other words, this should be a relatively tall and large compact hatchback.
Since the next Alfa compact crossover is set to hit the market in early 2028, the Giulietta should come shortly after that. The last model was exclusive to Europe, so adding in the fact that Americans will get a similar U.S.-focused model from Dodge, it seems unlikely that the new Giulietta will come Stateside.
Fred Smith's love of cars comes from his fascination with auto racing. Unfortunately, that passion led him to daily drive a high-mileage, first-year Porsche Panamera. He is still thinking about the last lap of the 2011 Indianapolis 500.
