With the Giulia and Stelvio, Alfa Romeo has properly revitalized its product portfolio. And it's said to have a new, larger crossover in the pipeline too. But what will come after that?
According to the latest reports, the Italian automaker is looking at two new vehicles: one to succeed the Giulietta, and the other, the 4C.
“In order to complete the Alfa range of products,” Alfa's chief technical officer Roberto Fedeli told Auto Express, “we need another couple of pillars – something in the C-Segment and then obviously a sporty product, a very sporty product.”
The Giulietta could use a shortened version of the Giulia sedan's platform, which would ostensibly mean it'd be rear-wheel drive – rare territory for C-segment hatchbacks, following similar formula to the BMW 1 Series hatch. But Alfa (and FCA) would need to ascertain whether a re-entry into that segment would be worthwhile.
The company has been moving away from unprofitable small cars, having in recent years discontinued the Dodge Dart, Chrysler 200, and Lancia Delta. “it’s very difficult to make a profit,” Fedeli said about the segment.
As for the 4C, an update is in the works – but the company is looking beyond that to the long-term future of the model. “We make some small modifications but then we have to decide if we want to install different engine, or switch the architecture. As you can imagine we have some options, we are working on more than one option.” However it turns out, Fedeli says it won't have a manual transmission – which is sad news for purists.
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