Alfa Romeo will reportedly be electrifying with Giulia sport sedan with the top-trim Quadrifoglio boasting 1,000 horsepower according to CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato.
Speaking with the United Kingdom’s Top Gear, the chief executive said Alfa remains dedicated to electrification with the entire Giulia lineup set to be electrified in a little under two years. While the brand has other EVs on the docket – including some that will precede the Giulia’s transformation – the brand’s niche appeal will likely prohibit some models from being imported to North America.
While electrification hasn’t gotten the warmest welcome in the United States due to the country's longer driving distances, leadership seems confident that it’s the right move for Europe. However, Alfa Romeo doesn’t seem ignorant of the reasons why people living in North America are more hesitant to buy EVs, with Imparato making it very clear that range anxiety will be an important factor – regardless of the market.
From Top Gear:
Next year there's Alfa's first full-EV. But don't get too excited: it's another crossover, smaller than the Tonale. It'll be based, Imparato confirms, on the Stellantis CMP platform, available as petrol and electric. In other words, an Alfa'd version [of] the [exclusive to Europe] Jeep Avenger or Vauxhall Mokka.
More interesting are a pair of new full-electric big cars, saloon and crossover, for 2025 and 2026. Presumably it's the crossover first, as they sell more? His reply is intriguing. "Not necessarily. With an EV you speak first of range. A saloon is better for that."
He calls this saloon the new Giulia. "The Giulia is back. Alejandro [Mesonero-Romanos, design chief at Alfa] is on it at the moment. We have to design a Giulia we will love. A connection with the past without jeopardising [sic] the future."
Jean-Philippe said the all-electric sedan will boast up to 500 miles of range and utilize a modern 800-volt architecture that allows for some of the fastest charging available. While that’s still not as much distance as the current Giulia’s 15.8-gallon fuel tank can manage when filled to the brim, it’s quite close. However, you may have to splurge on the most expensive version of the EV to get the battery configuration that’ll almost match it.
Power estimates were also somewhat vague. But the CEO threw out some pretty big numbers. Imparato told Top Gear that the base version of the sedan should produce 350 horsepower and the Veloce will be closer to 800 hp. It’s our assumption that the base model will remain rear-wheel drive with the Veloce having a dual motor setup that turns all four tires. The latter should also be true for the Quadrifoglio, which Alfa’s boss said would make 1,000 horsepower. Even if you’re devastated by the loss of the sedan’s 2.9-liter V6, the EV's prospective numbers are bound to help soften the blow.
That’s assuming those numbers stay where they are and the Giulia’s battery pack doesn’t add so much weight that it becomes clumsy in the corners. But these are again concerns shared by Imparato. He said Alfa was hard at work developing the sedan in a manner that wouldn't let the downsides of electrification become a problem.
"I don't want you to suffer inconvenience from switching to EV,” he explained. “The question for me is not whether to switch to EV, it's to get the right handling and agility."
[Image: Vorotylin Roman/Shutterstock]
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via Autobuzz Today
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