“The Quadrifoglio is the most authentic expression of sportiness at Alfa Romeo and our cars are designed by true driving enthusiasts, we always put the focus on the driver”
The words are from Santo Ficili, CEO of Alfa Romeo, who confirmed with them that the Italian company was once again putting the most special versions of the cars on sale. Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio. And the company has resurrected the Quadrifoglio version, the one with a four-leaf clover on the side, four exhaust pipes at the rear and a brute V6 under the hood.
The movement is the consequence of another mistake at the time. Stellantis has decided to put the sportiest and most special versions of its brand’s flagships back on the streets. The problem is that this movement is only the visible part of the iceberg.
The one that is submerged is a real problem.
A problem.
The trees that don’t let you see the forest
Yes, Alfa Romeo will bring the Quadrifoglio versions of its Giulia and Tonale to its European configurators. The sedan and the SUV will once again have specific sports versions, with all the aesthetic features but, above all, with an engine 2.9 liter V6 520 CV y 600 Nm.
We are the first to celebrate it.
But although the company has emphasized that the focus is once again placed on the most passionate about the brand and those seeking pure driving sensations, the truth is that the movement is simply a concatenation of errors.
Just a year ago, Alfa Romeo confirmed that it was stopping selling the more performance versions and the 280 HP gasoline engine of its Giulia and Stelvio. A stage was closing. A few months earlier, Carlos Tavares had resigned (or had been resigned) from Stellantis. Another stage was closing.
The Portuguese had become a sort of little Carlos Ghosn. A new “cost killer” had taken the helm of Stellantis, the largest automobile group in the world by number of brands in its portfolio. Brands that, since the company was born, have had to demonstrate their profitability. And Alfa Romeo was one of those that had the most complicated role.
Tavares made decisions that, over time, are considered more than controversial. The first was to keep the brand portfolio intact. Of course, forcing companies to demonstrate how far they were capable of going and confirm for themselves that they were profitable. His inflexible hand ended up sending cars to the United States for which there was no outlet despite the fact that from the other side of the pond they already told him that there was no way to sell, for example, an electric Fiat 500. Solution? Little less than giving them away.
The second was to bring the entire group into line. Same platform for what was to come, with a clear focus on electrification. The immediate result was a brutal reduction in costs. The consecutive one was a total loss of identity. Believing that the same plan could be equally successful for Citroën, RAM, Alfa Romeo or Maserati did not bode well.
And so it has happened.
The company has seen how billions were thrown away of euros in development. And how its sales have suffered until it has an impact on the accounts of 22,000 million euros. The European Union has left a loophole open for combustion, has made medium-term objectives more flexible, and the United States has lifted any restrictions on environmental matters.
Along the way, many of its brands have lost their identity.
Maserati has run into a problem: the rich don’t want electric sports cars. And they have had to cancel a project in which they had invested more than 3,000 million euros. In the United States they had retired their well-known HEMI V8 engine and have also had to back down because the path to complete electrification of brands like RAM was up in the air.
Now, the same has happened with Alfa Romeo. Stellantis opted to completely electrify it and made the same mistake as with Maserati or RAM, it lost identity. Alfa Romeo has generally had worse finishes than its premium rivals but it was supported better or worse by a loyal public that accepted risky and different designs, a distinctive driving feel and engines like the V6 Busso that was, among other incentives, the company’s heritage.
Strip Alfa Romeo of any identityof any minimally aspirational halo to shoehorn it onto the same platform that all Stellantis’ small or medium-sized cars ride on, and making an Opel Frontera with the Italian brand’s bodywork didn’t seem like the best idea. Especially if the ultimate intention is to sell cars.
The results are being calamitous for Alfa Romeo. The Junior doesn’t sell much and the Tonale is almost missing in action. The Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio are cars with a decade behind them, which makes them anticompetitive in the market. Giving them back their V6 engine is a small marketing exercise to boost sales of two cars that seem to have left the collective imagination when looking for a new car.
The company, at least, once again has those halo cars that can attract the public and, at least temporarily, put the brand on the market. But if they are with us it is because Stellantis has thrown away the development of the future fully electric models that were going to replace them.
These Quadrifoglio versions are also born with an expiration date. In a few months they will have to comply with Euro 7 and nothing confirms that with pure combustion they can be sold without making any adjustments. In 2027, if the plans end up being fulfilled, a completely renewed Stelvio should arrive with a new generation. Considering that they should ride the same platform, the same should happen with the Giulia.
Yes, we welcome that both cars can be available. But it’s just a band-aid to stem the bleeding from a much deeper wound.
Photo | Alfa Romeo
In WorldOfSoftware | Europe has been filled with Stellantis cars that are not selling. And Madrid and Zaragoza will pay the consequences
