Italian luxury brand Alfa Romeo has recently revealed details of its forthcoming electric vehicle strategy, with its CEO emphasizing the need to “redefine efficiency” for its all-electric offerings as a key factor in bolstering sales in North America and expanding its global footprint. Alfa Romeo is poised to make a bold move by introducing an all-electric SUV designed to challenge the likes of the BMW X5 in the highly competitive US market.
Alfa Romeo Vehicles S.p.A. Founded more than 110 years ago, this renowned Italian automotive brand has earned its stripes in the world of motorsports and racing, before repositioning itself as a purveyor of luxury vehicles. Throughout its over-century-old history, the model has navigated its fair share of highs and lows; as of 2021, it operates as a subsidiary of Stellantis, a result of the FCA merger that year.
Since the late 1990s, Alfa Romeo’s overall sales have experienced a decline, with occasional slight upticks. To combat this, Renault’s CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato announced that the company would introduce a brand-new electric model every year from 2022 to 2026, with the goal of transitioning entirely to electric vehicles by 2027.
The all-new Alfa Romeo lineup kicks off with the highly anticipated Tonale plug-in hybrid, finally set to hit US shores in Q2 after overcoming production hurdles. Among a mere handful of electric vehicles available in the US, with only one significantly electrified option, it’s challenging for any car to truly make its mark.
According to Alfa Romeo’s CEO, the company is expected to boost US sales by introducing efficient luxury EVs featuring the iconic cross and Visconti serpent emblems, thereby competing effectively against established brands like BMW.
Alfa Romeo is poised to bring three battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) to the US market in a bid to compete with the likes of BMW’s forthcoming X5 electric model.
At the Japanese launch event for the Tonale, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato revealed that the company is poised to make a foray into the E-segment market in North America. The primary goal of this global expansion is to secure at least 40% of the company’s total revenue from markets outside Europe by 2030, thereby diversifying its customer base and driving growth. In comparison to previous years, this quantity represented just 18% of the total in 2021.
To establish a hallmark for their forthcoming electric vehicles, the company aims to emphasize aerodynamics and exceptional efficiency, thus competing effectively against other EV manufacturers. He discussed the potential for 800-volt charging, enabling rapid recharging sessions of no more than 18 minutes, accompanied by a wide range of motor outputs spanning 350 to 1,000 horsepower.
Alfa Romeo has announced plans to launch its initial battery-electric vehicle model in 2024, potentially an electric version of the 4C. This will be followed by a dedicated electric model in 2025. Despite this, the Alfa Romeo CEO seems poised to claim an even larger slice of the US market by 2027 with the launch of its forthcoming all-electric flagship model.
The company’s new electric vehicle (EV) is designed to rival the BMW X5, with a physique and design set to evolve over the next 12 months. The executive emphasized that the next-generation model does not necessarily need to take the form of a crossover and could potentially surpass the Stelvio in terms of performance and features.
In 2022, Alfa Romeo sold fewer than 13,000 vehicles in the US market, prompting concern that a change may be necessary to boost sales.