“We need to change everything”: New Alfa Romeo Stelvio faces two-year delay
Faltering electric push has forced Italian sports car brand back to the drawing board
Alfa Romeo’s turnaround bid is struggling for take-off, with holes blown in its new model rollout due to regulatory and commercial pressures. The new Stelvio and the successor to the Giulia saloon are the biggest casualties: the all-new SUV was scheduled for launch in 2025 – but it’s been pushed back for two years while Alfa Romeo re-engineers it completely.
“We are changing our path because we were imagining Alfa Romeo’s future was electric-only, to respect the rules coming from Brussels,” Santo Ficili, the brand’s CEO, told Auto Express during an exclusive conversation in Belgium. But with consumers not flocking to EVs in the numbers predicted, the US withdrawing electric car incentives and the EU diluting demands for the new car market to be totally electric by 2035, Alfa Romeo has been forced to rip up its plans.
“We need to change everything,” explained Ficili. “We need to go from only-BEV to all the other powertrains. You can imagine what it means we need to change: to reinvent platforms, electronic architectures, connectivity of the car, not only for Alfa Romeo but all the [Stellantis group] brands.”
Ficili confirmed that this revamp included the STLA Large platform, the executive car-sized chassis bound for forthcoming big Alfas. It already underpins the electric Jeep Wagoneer S and the latest Dodge Charger muscle car, powered in the US by either twin electric motors for a maximum 661bhp or an inline six-cylinder with up to 542bhp. Could Alfa Romeo use this ‘Hurricane’ petrol engine?
“Let’s see,” said the boss. “We need to wait for the Capital Markets day, when our new [group] CEO, Antonio Filosa, will present the plan and not only for Alfa Romeo. Hold [your] breath!”
But it’s almost certain that a twin-turbocharged straight-six with 414bhp minimum would be too much of a risk to Alfa’s compliance with European emission targets, despite its swing towards compact, electrified SUVs to lower the fleet’s CO2 average.
On this continent, expect big Alfas to embrace plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains alongside electric power, although potential economies of scale have receded with Jeep and Chrysler dropping American PHEVs in favour of range-extender (REx) hybrids. A REx’s electric-biased driving experience doesn’t feel appropriate for a sports brand such as Alfa – again causing a headache as the Italian minnow struggles to build out its portfolio.
The delay to the Stelvio and Giulia means a stay of execution for the existing, 10-year-old models – though only in maximum-attack, 513bhp Quadrifoglio trim in the UK. This fabulous twin-turbo six has been re-engineered to meet the latest engine regulations, a courtesy not extended to the 276bhp 2.0-litre turbo, which is bowing out in Europe. The diesel also rumbles on in some markets.
“We [had] imagined to close Giulia and Stelvio but we decided to go ahead until the end of 2027,” said Ficili. “There was an investment to respect the regulation, but now the car is okay.” Quadrifoglio orders will reopen in April 2026. “We are not crazy for volume,” the boss added.
Alfa will seek to maximise revenues from these flagship old-timers instead, epitomised by the Giulia Luna Rossa limited edition. Restricted to just 10 units, the collaboration with the high-performance sailing team gets a carbon-fibre bodykit and revamped interior – for a six-figure price.
Cash from the flagships is critical when the heart of Alfa’s European range are the cheaper Junior and Tonale SUVs. Ficili claimed the Junior was running ahead of predictions with 60,000 orders since its launch in spring 2025. “And I’m quite satisfied [with Tonale] numbers: 100,000 units sold since [2022],” he added, with the facelifted model coming through.
“I’m super positive about the commercial result we delivered in 2025: globally we were [up] 19 per cent, with Europe [climbing] 29 per cent. [But] we are suffering a bit in North America because of tariffs,” he concluded. All told, Alfa Romeo sold about 70,000 cars in 2025 – still a drop in the ocean compared with BMW’s 2.16 million deliveries.
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