Italian luxury car-maker to expand portfolio with larger and smaller SUVs, and new sports car models
Alfa Romeo has taken its sweet time launching its first all-new model in six years – and only its second-ever SUV – the 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale small SUV, which is rolling into Aussie showrooms as we speak.
But the floodgates are starting to open and the historic Italian brand will soon unleash a torrent of new models.
It will start with the brand’s third SUV, an all-new compact crossover to slot beneath the Tonale, which was teased this week and is tipped to be called the Visconti.
The all-new compact SUV will herald the arrival of Alfa’s first EV, but there’s a large luxury flagship SUV on the horizon too.
In an interview earlier this year with UK website AutoExpress, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato all but confirmed the car-maker will deploy a high-end large luxury SUV by 2028 – a year after Alfa becomes an all-EV brand – and it’s expected to rival the Audi Q8 e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.
Italian media have dubbed it the Alfa Romeo Gran Stelvio and it’s set to ride on parent company Stellantis’ new STLA large platform, which would make it around five metres long – or possibly longer to match the Mercedes EQS SUV’s 5150mm length.
The new chassis architecture will endow the large electric SUV with big battery packs (up to 118kWh), which – depending on the output and number of e-motors – could deliver up to 700km of range.
The new ultra-luxury SUV will target China and the USA but is almost certain to be a global model and therefore a likely starter in Australia.
The large luxury SUV segment holds plenty of appeal for the Italian brand Down Under, said Stellantis Australia product manager for medium and large vehicles, Rick Crichton.
“Yeah, I think if an opportunity presents itself to play in the large SUV space we would.
“There’s substantial volumes there, particularly among luxury competitors, so it’d definitely be something we’d have to seriously consider,” he said.
Although Crichton wouldn’t be drawn on details of the upcoming large SUV – nor any other models like the Visconti – he said that momentum was with the brand.
“People can continue to speculate and yeah, we love it because it continues to build hype and excitement. And if and when we get something in the future, we’ll be really excited to share it,” he added.
Alfa Romeo’s Australian sales have been in the doldrums lately, but the launch of the Tonale and the repositioning of its two other models – the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV – will lift the brand’s results in the second half of 2023.
The various new STLA platform architectures (small, medium, large and ladder-frame) that were announced in 2021 and are now manifesting new models should provide a strong foundation for the brand’s next-generation vehicles, which will include electric replacements for the Giulia and Stelvio mid-size sedan and SUV from around 2025, ahead of Alfa’s shift to EVs in 2027.
“Yeah, there’s new global platforms that have been announced and how Alfa Romeo is able to leverage those going forward will be exciting. I don’t have anything specific to share on that but as time progresses, we’ll be able to talk in more definitives,” said Crichton.
“There’s massive opportunity in the multiple and continually emerging different segments and we’re always keen to assess what will be made available to us.”
Alfa Romeo is reportedly also working on a new flagship large sedan to launch in 2027 and more imminent is the launch of the almost sold-out Alfa Romeo 6C sports car.
Keyword: Flagship Alfa Romeo Gran Stelvio coming