What a difference (not even) a year makes. Instead of continuing on a path towards full electrification by launching a new generation of the Giulia and Stelvio this year, Alfa Romeo is instead going to keep the current gas-powered models around until 2027 and bring back their high-performance Quadrifoglio models.
Former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares had most of the automaker’s brands on the fast path towards full electrification, but all that changed when he resigned in December 2025. New CEO Antonio Filosa has sensed the shift in demand for electrification and, along with Alfa Romeo CEO Santa Ficili, is pulling the brand back from the electric brink. They have cancelled a project for a large electric SUV, delayed the next-generation Giulia and Stelvio and are planning to sell them with multiple powertrain options, and asserted that Alfa Romeo’s territory remains small, compact, and midsize vehicles, but not large cars.
Alfa Romeo Is In A Holding Pattern Now
The current Giulia and Stelvio were launched in 2015 and 2017, respectively. With this latest life extension, they will be 12 and 10 years old by the time they end production, which is now set for the end of 2027. They were already long in the tooth, but their octogenarian status will be somewhat mitigated by the return of the Quadrifoglio models.
The high-performance trim of these vehicles was canceled in the U.S. back in 2024, while production continued for a while longer in other markets. When they return, Alfa Romeo says they’ll be almost entirely the same as before, though European models may be tweaked to meet new Euro 7 emissions rules. Hopefully, that won’t change their power figures. Each was powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 making 513 horsepower.
Not surprisingly, corporate sibling Ram pulled the same move recently when it brought back the HEMI V-8 for its 1500 pickup truck and announced the return of its high-performance TRX model.
All of this means that Alfa Romeo, a brand with aging products, will go without any new vehicles for at least the next two years. The Tonale compact SUV did just receive a minor facelift and other tweaks, and the brand also sells an even smaller SUV overseas called the Junior, but neither are expected to change much in the next two years.
Couple this with the fact that Alfa Romeo builds the Giulia, Stelvio, and Tonale in two plants in Italy, which means they’re subjected to heavy import tariffs in the U.S. imposed by the Trump administration. The current tariff rate is 15 percent, which was lowered from 25 percent on August 1, 2025. As we’ve seen with U.S. tariffs this year, that number could change again at any time and in either direction.
TopSpeed’s Take
We are not opposed to the inevitable electrification of the world’s vehicle fleet. That said, we certainly don’t mind if some of our favorite gas-powered vehicles hang around a while longer. If you’ve never had the chance to drive a Stelvio Quadrifoglio, we highly recommend it, as Ferris Bueller once said.
Unfortunately, with products that are past their sell-by date and U.S. tariffs that are a moving target, Alfa Romeo will have it rough for the next two years. And that’s assuming none of its new products are delayed.