Former SEAT and Cupra design boss Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos has just been appointed the new Head of Design at Alfa Romeo. That is quite interesting, seeing as he had just left SEAT back in October to join the Renault Group as Design VP at Dacia. It would seem that Stellantis made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
We understand completely, though. Going from vice president of design at a brand like Dacia to the no.1 shot caller for the same department but with Alfa Romeo is a bit of a no-brainer.
Mesonero-Romanos will begin his stint at Alfa come July 1st and will report directly to Stellantis chief design officer, Jean-Pierre Ploué. His goal is to focus on a new design path for Alfa Romeo, whose next-generation models will be both modern and electrified.
During his time at SEAT, the Royal College of Art alumn worked on pretty much every successful car, from the fourth-generation Leon to the fifth-generation Ibiza and Arona. He was also responsible for the Cupra Tavascan concept and the Cupra Formentor.
Jean-Philippe Imparato, Alfa Romeo CEO, said that he’s “happy to address the upcoming challenges at Alfa Romeo with a forward-thinker like Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos. This close partnership is expected to bring success to the brand.”
Meanwhile, Ploué feels similarly about his new employee, adding that Mesonero-Romanos is also a car enthusiast, which is a "must" when dealing with a brand such as Alfa Romeo. Ploué also acknowledged the job Mesonero-Romanos did at Cupra during the latter’s transition from a specification option to a bona fide car brand.
Now, we’re not sure whether it’s already too late for Mesonero-Romanos to do anything about the styling of Alfa Romeo’s upcoming fully-electric crossover (currently unnamed), but with the Italian carmaker also allegedly planning a direct rival to the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4, we reckon that would be a perfect project to start with.
Mesonero-Romanos will begin his stint at Alfa come July 1st and will report directly to Stellantis chief design officer, Jean-Pierre Ploué. His goal is to focus on a new design path for Alfa Romeo, whose next-generation models will be both modern and electrified.
During his time at SEAT, the Royal College of Art alumn worked on pretty much every successful car, from the fourth-generation Leon to the fifth-generation Ibiza and Arona. He was also responsible for the Cupra Tavascan concept and the Cupra Formentor.
Jean-Philippe Imparato, Alfa Romeo CEO, said that he’s “happy to address the upcoming challenges at Alfa Romeo with a forward-thinker like Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos. This close partnership is expected to bring success to the brand.”
Meanwhile, Ploué feels similarly about his new employee, adding that Mesonero-Romanos is also a car enthusiast, which is a "must" when dealing with a brand such as Alfa Romeo. Ploué also acknowledged the job Mesonero-Romanos did at Cupra during the latter’s transition from a specification option to a bona fide car brand.
Now, we’re not sure whether it’s already too late for Mesonero-Romanos to do anything about the styling of Alfa Romeo’s upcoming fully-electric crossover (currently unnamed), but with the Italian carmaker also allegedly planning a direct rival to the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4, we reckon that would be a perfect project to start with.