Alfa Romeo pulled the plug on the Giulietta almost three years ago, a move that has left the Italian brand without a compact hatchback. But a successor could be in the pipeline, as the company's chief, Jean-Philippe Imparato hinted.
During a recent sitdown with Autocar, Alfa Romeo's head honcho hinted at a possible revival of the hatchback. "I'm not sure that we don't make money, even on a hatchback."
Mind you, that's anything but a confirmation. Nonetheless, it is enough to give Alfisti hope that a proper successor to the Giulietta could be on the table. Its indirect successor is the Tonale crossover, which shares its nuts and bolts with the Jeep Compass, and it has a North American cousin in the shape of the Dodge Hornet.
A hypothetically new Alfa Romeo hatch would need to use an electric powertrain, as the car marque plans to go all-quiet from 2027. The most logical move for the Stellantis-owned brand would be to build it on the STLA Medium platform, which is the foundation stone of the all-new Peugeot e-3008. It will also be used on the future Lancia Delta and on the successors to the Peugeot 308 and Opel/Vauxhall Astra, among others.
Photo: Alfa Romeo
This architecture was primarily designed to accommodate battery-electric powertrains. However, it is also compatible with good-old internal combustion units, so an ICE-powered successor to the Giulietta could be sold alongside the EV variant(s) at first to make it more appealing. However, in order for Alfa Romeo to experiment with such models and to bring a new Giulietta to the market, it would need to become profitable, so nothing is certain at this point.
In addition to a potentially new compact hatchback, which would take a swing at the BMW 1 Series, Mercedes A-Class (said to be discontinued after 2025), and Audi A3 Sportback, Alfa Romeo seems interested in a totally different model: a minivan. We kid you not, such a vehicle was hinted by the company's chief designer recently.
It has been reported that an Alfa Romeo-branded people carrier could be based on the STLA Large platform, and it might take a swing at either the Lexus LM with hybrid power or the Volkswagen ID. Buzz if given an all-quiet powertrain. Chances are that it might not launch in Western markets if it gets the green light for production, as it appears that the Italian car marque might offer it in China solely.
Another Alfa that might be a few years away is the large SUV, which is expected to launch in 2027. But if given the choice, which one would tickle your fancy better? Would it be the people carrier, the flagship high-rider, or the hypothetical successor to the Giulietta hatchback?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News