2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Sedan 4d on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo working on seven-seat, mild-hybrid SUV

Alfa Romeo will kick off its next product offensive with an SUV larger than the Stelvio (pictured) being prepared for launch about two years from now. The people-hauler, built on the Stelvio's Giorgio platform (the same as the Giulia sedan), will be the first brand offering with an electrified drivetrain, and the largest vehicle Alfa Romeo has ever built. A report last year said the coming SUV would probably slot into the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE segment, however, the XL Stelvio has been benchmarked against the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90, and a seven-seater model is likely. Alfa Romeo Chief Technical Officer Roberto Fedeli opened up to Auto Express, saying that a larger, heavier SUV could embody brand DNA with the help of "a 48-volt mild hybrid solution." The near-instant get-up of an e-turbo would counteract weight gain expected to be around 440 pounds. Fedeli revealed Alfa Romeo's testing a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder with an e-turbo on a simulator, and said they "can achieve around 350 to 400 bhp." Right now, the standard Stelvio produces 280 horsepower from its turbocharged 2.0-liter. A larger model that opened proceedings at 350 hp would create enough separation between the Stelvio and a rival like the 333-horsepower Audi Q7 with the 3.0-liter six-cylinder. Were there a Quadrifoglio version, we'd imagine it would want to outdo the 505-hp coming from the four-leaf Stelvio. After the SUV launches, the next-generation Euro-market Giulietta bows. After that, perhaps a new 4C? This summer, Autoline Network reported that the 4C would die in 2020 due to lagging sales. Yet, according to Auto Express, Alfa Romeo execs are still deciding "whether to completely reinvent the Alfa 4C for its next generation with a new chassis architecture and engine." We know that a heavily tweaked 4C appears next year as a 2019 model, the revisions aimed at getting the coupe closer to what it should have been from the beginning, and Fedeli wants a halo car to pitch alongside Alfa Romeo's Sauber F1 sponsorship. A brand new 4C would be a lot to ask, although it appears the door isn't totally closed. Related Video:

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider doffs its cap in Detroit

With the debut of the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider the Italian company's US lineup has officially doubled. Cosmetically, it makes most of its changes up top and out back, starting with its exposure to the sky. The 4C's 236-pound carbon-fiber monocoque was already engineered for open-air duty, so the Spider only needs an aluminum rollbar underneath the CF roll hoop - called a "halo" - as well as some new upper body brackets and a crossbeam in the engine compartment to maintain stiffness. The CF windshield frame is both bolted and glued to the monocoque. When it's time to close the cabin off, a stowable cloth roof or, later after launch, an available carbon-fiber hardtop will do the job. We've already had the chance to affix and remove the former, and it's a simple job that's good for a full 160 mph, unlike some rival's similar toupees that aren't approved for top-speed runs. When we saw spy shots of the 4C Spider on a photo shoot recently, we thought the center-mounted exhaust from the concept car had been retired, but that's not the case. Buyers will have the option of a center-set Akrapovic titanium dual-mode exhaust, with a carbon-fiber body surround. The aural sensations will be boosted further with three air extractors in the new decklid. The cockpit comes standard with cross-stitched leather in either black, red or Tobacco, depending on package. Details include CF vent surrounds, and an Alpine stereo with plenty of media input options (we're hoping it's better than the absolutely terrible head unit we've already experienced in the 4C coupe). Exterior touches will be enhanced by four new wheel designs in silver or dark finish, with four choices of brake caliper. How much performance will you give up to go topless? It doesn't look like much, if any. The 4C Coupe has been run from standstill to 60 miles per hour anywhere from 4.1 seconds to 4.3 seconds. Alfa gives the estimated time for the Spider as 4.1-seconds, to go along with 1.1 g of lateral acceleration, and says the car only weighs 22 pounds more than its fixed-head sibling. It looks like the Spider is out to earn all the attention it's going to get when it launches this summer. You can turn your attentions now to the mega gallery above and the lengthy press release below, and we'll have live shots of it from the Detroit Auto Show shortly.

2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale aims to be the enthusiast's small SUV

Alfa Romeo's lineup will expand by 50% next year thanks to the 2023 Tonale, its new small SUV engineered to take on the voluminous and still-expanding utility segment beneath the Stelvio and its ilk. This new baby SUV packs a minimum of 256 horsepower and all-wheel drive with an optional, performance-oriented plug-in model available.  It's difficult to talk about the future of the automotive industry without acknowledging the spread of electrification and the rise in vehicular ride heights, and Alfa's checking both boxes with the Tonale. The small SUV will now be the brand's entry-level model. That's right; while you weren't looking, Alfa's lineup shrank to just two vehicles: Giulia and Stelvio. The company will add more electric variants in the coming years, including a BEV before the middle of the decade, so while the Tonale may be the first, it's not going to be the only, and while Alfa is adamant that there's a future for Giulia, we're now nearly a decade removed from the days of Alfa showrooms being populated by little coupes, convertibles, hatchbacks and sedans.  The Tonale shares its underpinnings with just about every other small SUV in the Stellantis portfolio. Its largest cousin sold here in the U.S. is the Jeep Compass. We don't have all the numbers for Tonale just yet, but we suspect the only thing it'll really have in common with Jeep's economical compact will be the length of its wheelbase, which slots it into the same class as the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA/GLB and Lexus NX. And there's certainly nothing Compass-like about its exterior, which looks credibly Alfa-like. LED lighting is standard; the fancy wheels on the models shown in these photos are not; you'll need the Veloce trim for those.  Alfa's punching up a bit in the cabin too. A 10.25-inch Uconnect 5 infotainment system is standard (the Stelvio's base screen is just 8.8 inches) and paired to a 12.3-inch digital cluster display skinned to look like a vintage Alfa Romeo instrument panel. The Uconnect system is integrated with Alfa Connected Services to enable over-the-air updates and other personalized functionality. Each Tonale can store five individual driver profiles accessible via a single touch and is compatible with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. But while Alfa promises the Tonale will feel appropriately luxurious for its price point, this isn't aimed at the crowd that wants a soft, distant experience.