When Alfa Romeo introduced the updated 2023 Giulia and Stelvio in Europe last month, the changes were limited to the design and digital driver display. A special Competizione series was also announced, but nothing out of the ordinary. There was no mention of engine modifications, and now we know why. Product manager Daniel Guzzafame told Australian magazine Automotive expert the automaker has no plans to electrify the two midsize luxury cars.
Why? Because it would have been too expensive to design the Giorgio platform to accommodate a plug-in hybrid powertrain. A mild-hybrid setup using 48V technology would have been technically possible for this mid-cycle review, but the reduction in CO2 the emissions would have been too low to justify the increased asking price.
29 Pictures
This brings us to the problems Alfa Romeo is having with both the Giulia sedan and the Stelvio SUV as both cars become out of reach for more and more people in the European Union. Rising taxes on polluting cars are forcing customers in EU countries to consider other models: “In some markets right now you can’t deliver a car [that emits] 200g/km of CO2. Most people wouldn’t buy it.”
Guzzafame went on to say that fewer people are buying these vehicles “because there are taxes on them because people are no longer free to drive around in this car.” He notably mentioned France where the Giulia and Stelvio models come with “taxes [beyond] what people want to spend.”
Therefore, Alfa Romeo will completely abandon the hybridization of the Giulia and the Stelvio. Next-gen models arriving later this decade will “most likely” have a purely electric powertrain, according to Guzzafame. This makes sense given that Alfa has already committed to only selling electric vehicles in wider Europe, North America and China from 2027. Parent company Stellantis will phase out the combustion engine in Europe by the end of this decade.
The Giulia and Stelvio won’t stay at the top of the range forever as Alfa Romeo is preparing a larger model that should hit the market in 2027.
When Alfa Romeo introduced the updated 2023 Giulia and Stelvio in Europe last month, the changes were limited to the design and digital driver display. A special Competizione series was also announced, but nothing out of the ordinary. There was no mention of engine modifications, and now we know why. Product manager Daniel Guzzafame told Australian magazine Automotive expert the automaker has no plans to electrify the two midsize luxury cars.
Why? Because it would have been too expensive to design the Giorgio platform to accommodate a plug-in hybrid powertrain. A mild-hybrid setup using 48V technology would have been technically possible for this mid-cycle review, but the reduction in CO2 the emissions would have been too low to justify the increased asking price.
29 Pictures
This brings us to the problems Alfa Romeo is having with both the Giulia sedan and the Stelvio SUV as both cars become out of reach for more and more people in the European Union. Rising taxes on polluting cars are forcing customers in EU countries to consider other models: “In some markets right now you can’t deliver a car [that emits] 200g/km of CO2. Most people wouldn’t buy it.”
Guzzafame went on to say that fewer people are buying these vehicles “because there are taxes on them because people are no longer free to drive around in this car.” He notably mentioned France where the Giulia and Stelvio models come with “taxes [beyond] what people want to spend.”
Therefore, Alfa Romeo will completely abandon the hybridization of the Giulia and the Stelvio. Next-gen models arriving later this decade will “most likely” have a purely electric powertrain, according to Guzzafame. This makes sense given that Alfa has already committed to only selling electric vehicles in wider Europe, North America and China from 2027. Parent company Stellantis will phase out the combustion engine in Europe by the end of this decade.
The Giulia and Stelvio won’t stay at the top of the range forever as Alfa Romeo is preparing a larger model that should hit the market in 2027.
