Even a Giulia-inspired crossover wouldn't look so bad. Check out these expert renders of what future Alfas could look like.
Alfa Romeo's long-awaited new sports sedan, the Giulia, has proven to be every bit the sexy Italian the brand needs as the follow-up to the 4C. We can't wait to drive the new Alfa, which is due to arrive here in mid-2016. Of course, the automaker will need to further flesh out its lineup globally, both to satisfy its dealer body and to maximize the return on its investment in the Giulia's new rear-drive platform. Our illustrator has worked up two additional Giulia-based body styles, presented here for your approval. Which one should sit alongside the Giulia sedan in Alfa showrooms?
The Giulia sedan was unveiled in high-zoot, Quadrifoglio form, which will be powered by a superb-sounding, 503-hp twin-turbo V-6. With that engine, the Giulia is claimed to be good for a 3.9-second sprint from 0 to 62 mph, and—according to a report on the Italian web site alVolante (via World Car Fans)—a top speed of 200 mph.
But of course there will lesser, more mainstream versions, likely powered by a naturally aspirated V-6 and a turbo four. In seeking higher volumes, probably no body style would serve Alfa better than a crossover. As rendered here (below), we see that a crossover SUV—and Alfa is expected to build at least one such model—could maintain a distinct Alfa Romeo look. The ostensible Audi Q5 and BMW X3 fighter also benefits from the sporty proportions afforded by the underlying rear-drive-based architecture.
All that said, there's no denying the smoldering hotness of the Guilia wagon rendering at the top of this post. Unfortunately, Alfa has told us that it has no plans for a wagon, but maybe they should reconsider. To our eyes, the Guilia in wagon form is every bit as handsome as the BMW 3-series wagon or the Audi A4 Avant, both of which are quite popular in Europe. Of course, we'd also love to see a Giulia wagon here, but that's even more of a long shot.
We'll see how Alfa goes about building on the Giulia, as it works toward its highly ambitious goal of400,000 annual sales by 2018. First will come the additional sedan offerings, which we'll see at the Frankfurt auto show this fall. After that—well, we'd bet on the crossover, but we're pulling for the wagon. Who knows, maybe we'll get both.
Source: Car and Driver
