When Alfa Romeo introduced the updated 2023 Giulia and Stelvio in Europe last month, changes were limited to the design and a digital driver's display. A Competizione special series was also announced, but nothing to write home about. There was no mention of any engine tweaks, and now we know why. Head of Product, Daniel Guzzafame, told Australian magazine Car Expert the automaker has no intentions to electrify the two midsize luxury cars.
Why? Because it would’ve been too expensive to engineer the Giorgio platform to accommodate a plug-in hybrid powertrain. A mild-hybrid setup using 48V tech would've been technically possible for this mid-cycle revision, but the reduction in CO2 emissions would've been too small to justify the increased asking price.
Alfa Romeo Giulia
That brings us to the problems Alfa Romeo is having with both the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV since the two cars are becoming out of reach for more and more people in the European Union. Increasingly higher taxes on pollution cars are forcing customers in EU countries to consider other models: "In certain markets now, you can not deliver a car [that emits] 200g/km of CO2. Most people would not buy it."
Guzzafame went on to say fewer people are buying these vehicles "because there are taxes on it because people are not free to move around in that car anymore." He specifically mentioned France where the Giulia and Stelvio models come with "taxes that are [beyond] what people are wanting to spend."
Consequently, Alfa Romeo will skip hybridizing the Giulia and Stelvio altogether. According to Guzzafame, the next-generation models arriving later this decade will "most probably" have a purely electric powertrain. That makes sense considering Alfa has already pledged to sell only EVs in Enlarged Europe, North America, and China from 2027. Parent company Stellantis will discontinue the combustion engine in Europe by the end of this decade.
The Giulia and Stelvio won’t remain at the top of the lineup forever considering Alfa Romeo is cooking up a larger model scheduled to hit the market in 2027.
