Photo: Gianmarco Giacchina on Instagram
After pulling the plug on the MiTo subcompact hatchback, Alfa Romeo will discontinue the Giulietta as well by the end of the current year. In their place, the Italian brand will introduce no fewer than two SUVs. The Tonale crossover is one of them, and the B-UV still hasn’t got a name at the time of writing this article.
The thing is, everyone was expecting Alfa Romeo to revamp the Giulietta on the Giorgio vehicle architecture. Rear-wheel-drive would have made the compact hatchback a niche car – a desirable one of those as well – because BMW switched to front-wheel-drive for the 1er as part of the automaker’s cost-cutting strategy.
What makes this change of plans even worse for Alfa Romeo is that the GTV and 8C won’t come back. Previewed at the Capital Markets Day 2018 with 600 and 700 horsepower, respectively, research and development for the high-performance models had to be halted to focus on more lucrative segments.
There’s a silver lining, however, with the arrival of the Giulia GTA and the more hardcore Giulia GTAm four-door sedans that are limited to 500 units worldwide. With 540 PS from 2.9 liters and one of the best-sounding V6s in the biz, the GTA twins further promise 2.82 kilograms per every metric horsepower.
Can you imagine what the Giulietta with the same powertrain and platform as the Giulia GTA would’ve done to the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ if the compact hatchback were to survive past 2020? Unfortunately for Alfa Romeo and rear-wheel-drive fans, that thought can only be described as wishful thinking.
Be that as it may, Italian designer Gianmarco Giacchina did try his hands at imagining the 2021 Giulietta with the automaker’s latest design philosophy. Combining traits from the Tonale with Quadrifoglio wheels, two exhaust outlets, carbon fiber up front, and frameless windows, the digital reinterpretation in the photo gallery is only one possible outcome for the Giulietta if it were to receive a new generation.
Codenamed Tipo 940, the third-generation Giulietta was preceded by the Tipo 116 and 750/101 rear-wheel-drive sedans, coupes, and roadsters. When Alfa Romeo introduced the Giulietta hatchback in 2010, no other compact was as beautiful for obvious reasons. Also worthy of note, the Quadrifoglio Verde hot hatchback used to be more potent than the Golf GTI at 235 vs. 210 PS.
What makes this change of plans even worse for Alfa Romeo is that the GTV and 8C won’t come back. Previewed at the Capital Markets Day 2018 with 600 and 700 horsepower, respectively, research and development for the high-performance models had to be halted to focus on more lucrative segments.
There’s a silver lining, however, with the arrival of the Giulia GTA and the more hardcore Giulia GTAm four-door sedans that are limited to 500 units worldwide. With 540 PS from 2.9 liters and one of the best-sounding V6s in the biz, the GTA twins further promise 2.82 kilograms per every metric horsepower.
Can you imagine what the Giulietta with the same powertrain and platform as the Giulia GTA would’ve done to the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ if the compact hatchback were to survive past 2020? Unfortunately for Alfa Romeo and rear-wheel-drive fans, that thought can only be described as wishful thinking.
Be that as it may, Italian designer Gianmarco Giacchina did try his hands at imagining the 2021 Giulietta with the automaker’s latest design philosophy. Combining traits from the Tonale with Quadrifoglio wheels, two exhaust outlets, carbon fiber up front, and frameless windows, the digital reinterpretation in the photo gallery is only one possible outcome for the Giulietta if it were to receive a new generation.
Codenamed Tipo 940, the third-generation Giulietta was preceded by the Tipo 116 and 750/101 rear-wheel-drive sedans, coupes, and roadsters. When Alfa Romeo introduced the Giulietta hatchback in 2010, no other compact was as beautiful for obvious reasons. Also worthy of note, the Quadrifoglio Verde hot hatchback used to be more potent than the Golf GTI at 235 vs. 210 PS.
Google News