The next Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio will likely be electric.
The mid-sized sedan and SUV were revealed in 2016, and given a mid-life refresh earlier this year, but neither features even mild-hybrid technology.
Alfa Romeo head of product, Daniel Guzzafame, told Australian media it’s getting harder to sell cars like the Giulia and Stelvio in some European markets already due to the huge taxes on high-emitting vehicles.
Alfa Romeo Giulia 
“In certain markets now, you can not deliver a car [that emits] 200g/km of CO2. Most people would not buy it,” Mr Guzzafame told media.
“Why? Because there are taxes on it, because people are not free to move around in that car anymore. In France, the Stelvio 280hp and Tonale GME are paying taxes that are [beyond] what people are wanting to spend,” he said.
One possible solution is to develop a plug-in hybrid version, which puts the car into a more favourable tax bracket and makes it easier to sell in markets such as France.
But the rear-wheel drive Giorgio platform beneath the Stelvio and Giulia wasn’t designed to support electrification, and redeveloping it would be a significant cost for a brand under pressure from the top to deliver a profit.
Alfa Romeo Stelvio 
With the 2027 deadline for pure-electric power looming large, Mr Guzzafame confirmed Alfa Romeo won’t be putting a PHEV in the current Stelvio and Giulia.
“If you want to have a PHEV, then we need to completely retool all of the [platform],” he said.
The brand “could have” fitted a 48V mild-hybrid system to the Giulia and Stelvio at its mid-life refresh, but determined the CO2 emissions reductions wasn’t significant enough to justify the increase it’d require to the sticker price.
And given the brand has confirmed 2024 will see the launch of the last new Alfa Romeo with internal-combustion, Mr Guzzafame said the next Giulia and Stelvio will “most probably” be electric.
As some rivals move away from traditional passenger cars, Alfa Romeo has confirmed it won’t abandon its roots and kill the Giulia.
“You need a car,” Mr Guzzafame said, speaking about the core models that’ll drive Alfa Romeo’s future.
“You need a Giulia, you need a Stelvio, you need a Tonale. Then you need something bigger.”
