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Alfa Romeo flagship EV due in 2027 with 18-minute recharge time

Last July, Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato said his Italian concern would develop a new battery-electric vehicle in the U.S. that would launch here in 2027. It would take the new top spot in the lineup, being larger than the Stelvio, full of tech and full of performance. During the launch of the Tonale in Japan, the boss shared provisional specs of the "high-performance SUV" with Automotive News Europe. The pack of some unknown size would juice motors putting out from 300 to 800 horsepower in the standard range, and around 1,000 horsepower in a Quadrifoglio trim. Here's the big stat: In ANE's words, an 800-volt architecture would enable "recharging times of 18 minutes max, [Imparato] said." We'd sure like to know the qualifications required to get an 18-minute charge. Porsche advertises the Taycan's 93.4-kWh Performance Battery Plus as being able to go from 5% state-of-charge to 80% in 22.5 minutes when the sedan's been optioned with the $460 On-Board DC Charger. Naturally, that's under ideal conditions and when plugged into a charger that can feed the Taycan at its max 270-kW rate. When veteran hypermiler Wayne Gerdes took a Taycan across the U.S. in five days, he said his first charge at a 350-kW Electrify America unit took 22 minutes to get the battery from 6% to 82%. Knowing that the initial few percent and those last 20% take longer than the meaty bit in the middle, we going to guess Imparato's time assessment leaves out the time-consuming portions of charging the battery near empty and close to full. But hey, four years is a long way away in the EV-verse.  The CEO said the Alfa Romeo will compete with the BMW X5, a crossover almost exactly ten inches longer than the Stelvio (pictured), which is currently the largest product in the portfolio and the best-seller in the U.S. The Italian might not share a traditional CUV shape with the German, Imparato having said that aerodynamic needs could lead to a shape between a sedan and a crossover. If things are on track in Milan, executives approved the design before the end of 2022.  We'll begin to see what Alfa Romeo's EV-only future when the brand's first dedicated EV shows in 2025. Related video:

2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Review | Heck of a third impression

The 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio does not make a good second impression. The first impression? A-OK, as you approach its distinctive Alfa face, admire its tight proportions and wonder why someone would paint it something other than Alfa Rosso. It's so definitely not German, which counts for a lot should you live in a neighborhood where everyone drives a black BMW or silver Audi. That this Stelvio costs $94,340 seems steep, but at least it has the looks to back it up. Then you pull the door handle and the action is eerily reminiscent of a Dodge Dart. The door opens and the sound and feel are just a bit hollow. You sit down inside and press a button, any button, or turn a knob. The plastic feels cheap and the action is flimsy. It's basically the exact opposite of what you get in an Audi or Porsche. Even their touch-sensitive controls emit a hearty click. Car journalists may go on about "soft-touch materials" in cars, but it’s the switchgear that one ultimately interacts most with. If the volume knob feels Fisher-Price, who cares that the dash and just about every other interior surface is covered in leather? To be fair, the Alfa's cabin is indeed covered as such, and since this is the Quadrifoglio, it gets green and white stitching with carbon fiber trim. It certainly doesn't look cheap, even if it definitely feels it and sounds like it given the duo of distinctive rattles that had already developed in a press car with a mere 3,400 miles on it. There's also the infotainment system, which is highlighted by an 8.8-inch screen that doesn't take good advantage of its sizeable real estate. There's a control knob with accompanying Menu and Option buttons. It's better than Lexus Remote Touch, but that's a bar previously used at a corgi agility competition. Rival systems are easier to use (not to mention FCA's own Uconnect touchscreen) and appear more state-of-the-art (because they are). It's very possible that a prospective luxury SUV shopper would stop right there, never even bothering to go on a test drive. If they'd just come from a Porsche, Audi or BMW store, it's particularly easy to see that happening. Of course, it's the test drive where the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio makes its third and best impression. It's as sizzling and wild as you might have heard. The delicacy and immediacy of the controls are immediately noticed.

Alfa Romeo unveils Formula One car for new season

MONTMELO, Spain — Alfa Romeo has unveiled the new Formula One car that will be piloted by former champion Kimi Raikkonen this season. Raikkonen, teammate Antonio Giovinazzi and team principle Frederic Vasseur posed with the white-and-burgundy Alfa Romeo C38 in the pit lane of the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit before preseason testing started on Monday. Alfa Romeo is the rebranded name for the Sauber team this season. Raikkonen joined Alfa Romeo from Ferrari, where he won the Italian team's most recent drivers' title in 2007. The 39-year-old Finn is joined by Giovinazzi, a 25-year-old Italian with two Grand Prix races under his belt. Sauber finished eighth in the constructors' standings last year. More AP auto racing