“The 5-fighting sedan will arrive in about 2018, and it will be followed by a coupe, a convertible, and a bigger crossover.”
Alfa Romeo is developing a new mid-size luxury sedan that will take on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the BMW 5 Series.
The yet-unnamed car will ride on the same architecture as the Giulia (pictured) that was introduced last year. Mechanically, volume models will use gasoline- and diesel-burning four-cylinder engines borrowed from the Giulia. Rear-wheel drive will come standard, and all-wheel drive will be offered at an extra cost.
Moving up, the sedan will be offered with a turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 engine, and Alfa’s first-ever six-cylinder diesel. A range-topping, Quadrifoglio Verde-badged variant designed to run alongside the E63 and the M5 will round out the lineup. At the other end of the spectrum, the mid-size model will become the first Alfa offered with a gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrain.
Alfa knows it needs to win back buyers all over the globe, so it’s working hard to return to relevance in the premium segment. The company is in the final stages of developing a crossover that will be about as big as a X3. Called Stelvio, the soft-roader could break cover before the end of the year. Next up will be a rear-wheel drive hatchback designed to replace both the MiTo and the Giulietta.
“We owe our investors a constant stream of new, fresh global products that can be sold. It will be a relatively fast sequence of relevant and saleable products like saloons and SUVs,” explained Harald Wester, Fiat – Chrysler’s chief technology officer.
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