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It only took 2.5 years to create the Alfa Romeo Giulia

Automakers are capable of some remarkable things. Take Alfa Romeo, for example. A new vehicle generally takes four to five years to go from conception to production, but with the stunning new Giulia, the iconic Italian brand allegedly did it in less than three years. That's according Chief Engineer Philippe Krief, who spoke to Car about the, um, car. "You ask every carmaker: doing a car in two years, everyone will tell you it's not possible," Krief told Car. "The industry standard says four, the longest say five years, everywhere in the world. We had to do it in two and a half years. [Sergio] Marchionne said – and he's right – the only way to achieve that is to be different." Remarkably, this was done with just 11 people, handpicked by Krief. This so-called Skunkworks approach allowed for fast decision making and brainstorming, and consequently, stuff like the torque-vectoring system and active aerodynamics on the Quadrifoglio. While we love talking about Alfa's notorious Cloverleaf trim, Krief also let some details slip on additional members of the Giulia family, beyond the 510-horsepower, 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 model. We can expect to see those in a few months time, at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. And yes, that could include a four-cylinder model and a diesel V6. "Probably," Krief said, when asked about a four-cylinder model. "And we are package-protected for V6 diesel, we can install it in the car and after we can decide whether to put it in or not." So there you are. While the big news remains the Quadrifoglio, Alfa is set to expand the Giulia's engine range, and it'll do so very soon. Stay tuned. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo: Reports of 4C's death by 2020 aren't true

The Alfa Romeo 4C is a purpose-built sports car that hasn't put up stellar sales figures in the US. As we found out, it's an uncompromising machine, which is probably one reason why the automaker is struggling to shift a large number of units. A recent report from Autoline, citing Auto Forecast Solutions, claims that Alfa is planning to axe the 4C Coupe and 4C Spider from its lineup by 2020. The report claims that the automaker plans to cancel the next generation of the 4C to focus on manufacturing new models that would have more sales potential. Alfa only managed to sell 309 units this year – that's only 11 more units than the Dodge Viper, which will be going out of production next year. When we questioned an Alfa Romeo spokesman on whether the 4C would be discontinued by 2020, he stated that no plans had been announced yet and referred us to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' five-year plan. The plan mentions two "specialty" models that Alfa plans to introduce between 2017 and 2020. It's not clear whether these models would be in addition to or act as direct replacements for the 4C Coupe and 4C Spider. There's also a possibility that the upcoming models would serve the same purpose as the 4C models, but carry different names. The 4C marked Alfa's return to the US since it left in the 1990s. As part of the automaker's comeback, it plans to put a sports sedan, in the form of the Alfa Romeo Giulia, up against the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3 Series later this year. Related Video:

2022 Alfa Romeo GTV leaked image shows high performance coupe

Update: Turns out, the image came from the School of Design Milan and is not a leaked image of the upcoming Alfa GTV. We have since learned the image was of a rendering presented during a class. Alfa Romeo declared it was going to bring back the GTV name with a high-performance hybrid car last summer at its five-year plan conference. We got a teaser then, but now this image has surfaced online, initially appearing on the Italian Club Alfa website. It does indeed have the coupe bodystyle we surmised before. We're getting a grand tourer vibe from the styling right now, especially in knowing Alfa plans on giving the GTV 600 horsepower. The power will most likely come from the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 hooked up to some form of hybrid electric system. We've been told to expect all-wheel drive, torque vectoring and a 50/50 weight distribution for the GTV, along with a short electric-only range. Alfa's Giorgio platform was designed with electrification in mind, so this car will certainly ride on those underpinnings. That's great to hear, because the Giulia and Stelvio are both dynamic standouts in their respective classes. This car's looks looks set to take on other luxury grand tourers like the Lexus LC500 and BMW 8 Series. The GTV is set to be joined by a new 8C supercar with even more horsepower in 2022. That vehicle will also be using a hybrid powertrain. Both these cars are still a few years from production, but we may just see a concept or two at auto shows leading up to their eventual reveals.