Italy wins again! Alfa Romeo dodges axe as updated Stelvio arrives ahead of new-model blitz - including Tesla Model 3 and Lexus UX Hybrid rivals, and much more

Alfa Romeo has reiterated its commitment to right-hand-drive production globally and a continual presence in Australia in particular, revealing that support for the brand in this market stretches all the way to the top.

Speaking in Melbourne this week, the head of Alfa Romeo and Fiat in Australia, Andre Scott, assured the press that the global head of the brand, Jean-Philippe Imparato (JPI), told him directly that he is behind Australia “100 per cent” of the way.

“We’ve needed to answer that question (of remaining in Australia in the long term) for our network,” he admitted. 

“So, when we went to our virtual dealer meeting back in April this year, we were able to give feedback with confidence to them that Alfa is here to remain in Australia.”

Read More About Alfa Romeo Giulia

2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio price and features: BMW X3 M Competition, Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S and Porsche Macan Turbo-rivalling flagship Quadrifoglio SUV comes down in cost Why Alfa Romeo deserves better: How the Italian brand can become a rival to Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz again Alfa Romeo and Fiat here to stay in Australia, but no confirmation of new product yet

Mr Scott added that underlining Australia’s importance is that it is one of the key right-hand-drive (RHD) markets globally, and so – rather surprisingly – has a say in shaping future models, in which there are many in the pipeline.    

“Alfa is part of the global homeroom,” he said. “(JPI) is committed to the RHD market with us, and we are a core part of that homeroom – which is the product conversations, the development – and so we’ve seen nothing but evidence of (full support) so far.

“I can speak for what we’re working on long range, and RHD is part of that discussion… it’s not a ‘how do we become a part of that (program as a RHD market).”

Another factor helping ensure Alfa Romeo’s long-term future is its integration within the Stellantis network, which combines the former Groupe PSA brands of Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall with the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles marques of Italy’s Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati and Abarth and Chrysler, Dodge, RAM and Jeep from the United States.

“That’s the beautiful part of the Stellantis merger for us,” Mr Scott explained. 

“There’s a commitment for Alfa to be the premium brand for the product portfolio as a whole. There’s been a 10-year investment commitment as part of that, and that was put out as a public statement.

“And more importantly, Australia has been communicated as being a part of that.”

Alfa Romeo says that local supplies of the MY21 Stelvio will finally arrive in volume in this second half of 2021, after the decision was made some time ago to forgo importing MY19 and MY20 stock from Italy due to initially slow uptake and an over-abundance of the first wave of MY18 vehicles.

“We needed to move the stock,” Mr Scott revealed.

As we reported last month, to make the latest Stelvio more attractive to potential buyers, nearly $3000 was lopped off the price of the MY21 update. The Porsche Macan, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Audi Q5 competitor also benefitted from the introduction of more-sophisticated semi-autonomous driver-assist safety technology, upgraded multimedia system, improved cabin materials and more standard features.

These developments were also applied last year to the Stelvio’s luxury sports sedan sibling, the BMW 3 Series-rivalling Giulia.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia played the value card when it introduced its first big update recently.

Stelvio prices kick off from $64,950 before on-road costs for the (special order only) base grade, rising to $69,950 for the Sport, $78,950 for the Veloce (the expected bestseller) and $146,950 for the range-topping Quadrifoglio.

With the diesel now discontinued for Australia, the two lowest grades are powered by a 148kW/330Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, with the Veloce upping those outputs to 206kW/400Nm, while a 375kW/600Nm 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 underpins the Quadrifoglio. All send their drive to all four wheels via a ZF-supplied eight-speed torque-converter auto.

Both Stelvio and Giulia employ a development of the premium longitudinal-engined and rear/all-wheel-drive Giorgio architecture.

However, reports out of Europe suggest this will eventually be discontinued for an all-electric skateboard architecture Stellantis is developing called STLA, for use across most of its brands in the coming years.

Central to this will be an all-electric four-door luxury GT said to wear the famous GTV badge, to take on the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4 EVs.

That said, petrol and petrol-electric hybrid powertrains will still feature front and centre in Alfas, including the much-delayed Tonale small SUV pencilled in for 2022, as well as the Giulia and Stelvio replacements in the coming years. A smaller crossover that may be related to the Peugeot 2008 is also rumoured for the middle of the decade.

With all this development underway, it is clear Stellantis has thrown the Italian marque a lifeline as its progressive EV-focused sports luxury flagship volume brand.

Global boss JPI is scheduled to outlay Alfa Romeo’s plans publicly in a special media event slated for around August or September, so stay tuned for more info as it comes to hand.