Alfisti rejoice! Alfa Romeo confirms ICE will stay
Alfa Romeo has become one of the more recent to confirm that it isn’t doing away with internal combustion engine vehicles as soon as it had promised.
Mercedes-AMG’s mighty impressive and mighty electrified C63 has perhaps served as a cautionary tale, as have many other European manufacturers that have significantly pivoted to electrification to little interest from the mass market. With these warning signs, Alfa Romeo has become the latest automaker to rethink its aggressive electric vehicle strategy, backing away from its original plan to go fully electric in North America by 2027.
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Instead, the Italian marque which forms part of the Stellantis group will now pursue a ‘multi-energy’ approach, continuing to offer gasoline, electric, and plug-in hybrid models.
This approach is similar to the guns Toyota is sticking to with its multi-pathway approach which is arguably more logical and pragmatic. It is essentially a plan to reduce emissions by developing a variety of vehicles, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrids, and fuel-cell electric vehicles since the Japanese automaker believes that the best way to decarbonize transportation varies by region.
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These trends have presumably struck a chord with other global manufacturers. Speaking at the NADA Show, Alfa Romeo North America chief Chris Feuell acknowledged that a sudden shift to an EV-only line-up would be impractical for the brand’s dealer network. “We’ve got 110 dealers … in our US network, and it would be very challenging for them to survive with a BEV-only portfolio,” Feuell told Automotive News.
When Alfa Romeo first announced its full-EV transition, it extended to other key markets, including Enlarged Europe and China. Whether the 2027 deadline still applies in those regions remains unclear. However, former CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato recently hinted that internal combustion could stay in the line-up if demand remains strong. His successor, Santo Ficili, now has the freedom to introduce ICE versions of Alfa’s next-generation models, including replacements for the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV. Both will be built on the STLA Large platform, which, as demonstrated by the new Dodge Charger, supports both gasoline and electric powertrains. The new Stelvio is expected later this year, with the Giulia following in 2026.
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There is no certainty on what these statements mean just yet but it is likely that not as much will change as originally thought. On the local front, the South African market is less susceptible to stringent emissions regulations which means it will be likely that the Italian automaker would be able to continue offering new ICE or hybrid models here should they be deemed viable for the market.
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The post Alfisti Rejoice! Alfa Romeo Confirms ICE Will Stay appeared first on CAR Magazine.
