Alfa Romeo’s image as a manufacturer of quick, nimble cars is well established in the brand’s 100-year history, but it seems to have lost some of that spark in recent years. Harald Wester, head of Alfa Romeo and Maserati, has even said that Alfa has “… completely lost its DNA …” during an announcement this past May, outlining a plan to turn things around.
According to supplier sources in touch with Automotive News Europe, Alfa Romeo has at least three engines in the works. The first is a 2.9-liter, twin-turbo six-cylinder engine that is said to have an output of 480 horsepower. This engine is supposedly based on the V6 built for the Maserati Ghibli, which was co-developed with Ferrari.
The current turbo 1.7-liter, inline-four engine will most likely be replaced by a 2.0-liter iteration called the “Global Medium Engine,” which is expected to have an output range of 130 hp to 210 hp.
On the diesel side of things, a 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbo is in the works, pumping out as much as 210 hp, while Alfa is closely working with VM Motori, an FCA subsidiary, on a new 3.0-liter V6. The plan is to put this in future all-wheel-drive models as well as an SUV.
Alfa Romeo’s seen collapsing sales this past decade, even with highlight models such as 2007’s 8C Competizione raising its profile, and the 4C coupe, which returns the brand to this side of the pond after 20 or so years. A $7-billion investment of a five-year plan hopes to see eight new models reinvigorate the automaker’s lineup, including a replacement for the Giulietta, a mid-sized sedan, a large flagship model, one ‘specialty’ vehicle, and an SUV or crossover.
What’s reassuring about Alfa’s commitment to making these cars fun again is that all these vehicles will be built on either an AWD platform or rear-wheel-drive, even the sub-compact Giulietta replacement. No plans explicitly say that any of these are headed stateside, but if FCA is committed to expanding the sporty automaker’s coverage overseas, revitalizing the waning sales, and getting some of that lost mojo back, its possible that each and every one of these models could hit U.S. roads.
