New Giulia and SUV up next in Alfa Romeo renaissance

Model blitz set to include unconventional Giulia successor and flagship Q7 rival

- HILTON HOLLOWAY

AIfa Romeo's premium-focused reinvention under the ownership of Stellantis is continuing apace, with the focus now shifting to a replacement for the Giulia saloon and, according to senior sources, the creation of a new large SUV flagship.

Speaking to Autocar at the Pomigliano factory in Italy that will build the recently revealed Tonale crossover, Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato said that he had tasked the design team with looking at an unusual replacement for the Giulia. In addition, industry reports have been circulating about the development of a new range-topping SUV in the vein of the Porsche Cayenne, likely to be battery-electric.

Imparato told Autocar that the current Giulia and Stelvio SUV have "some years left to run" but he has already given a brief to Alfa Romeo's designers (led since June last year by ex-Seat and Dacia design boss Alejandro MesoneroRomanos) to consider, including a proposal for an estate-style car that might take on the new Genesis G70 Shooting Brake.

"I don't want to give up on the sedan (saloon) market," he told Autocar. "It's in Alfa's DNA to have a sporty sedan. But I also acknowledge that there were many suggestions that there should be a station wagon (estate] version of the Giulia. Maybe there's a tipping point between the sedan and the station wagon. With a new Giulia, maybe we can have the best of both worlds."

Imparato said that the Italian brand's future product plans would be underpinned by "stability" - something that it has certainly lacked over the past 20 years and more.