The Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan and Stelvio crossover are as old as my career in automotive journalism. I was just getting into the game when these cars hit the streets, so I have some very distinct memories of writing about them and driving them.
It’s hard to believe the Alfa duo is now 10 years old. They both still look pretty modern, thanks in part to facelifts that happened in 2022 (for the Giulia) and 2023 (for the Stelvio). The cars were reportedly destined to exit production in March of 2026, according to a memo released to Italian dealers earlier this year. But that’s definitely not happening, according to a company exec.
Jules Tilstone, the guy who’s been in charge of the Alfa Romeo and DS brands in the United Kingdom for the past two years, told Autocar that production of the Giulia and Stelvio will now extend into 2027. He also dropped a juicy tidbit of info on the high-performance, well-loved Quadrifoglio models:
Tilstone confirmed that the pair will continue to be offered with a 270bhp four-cylinder petrol engine as standard and added: “We’re also bringing back the Quadrifoglio versions of both the Giulia and Stelvio.”
The V6 performance versions were taken out of production in September but will start running down the line again at Alfa’s factory in Cassino, Italy, from April 2026.
It is unconfirmed whether either engine needed extensive modifications to comply with incoming Euro 7 emissions rules, but Tilstone said “the powertrains will be effectively the same”.
That means that just one month after Alfa decided to take the Quadrifoglio models out of production, it decided to put them back into production (but not for another six months). Why the turnaround?
As Autocar points out, the next-gen Stelvio was originally supposed to debut next year as a pure EV, riding on Stellantis’s STLA Large platform. But falling demand for electric cars—especially in the US, where weakening emissions laws and the loss of the federal EV tax credit are expected to cause a depression in EV sales—has forced Alfa to reconsider its approach.
The latest rumors now say the next-gen Stelvio and Giulia will be offered with a range of powertrains, including hybridized and electric variants. And as Car and Driver says, the current models getting a stay of execution is simply a stopgap until those cars are ready. As for why the Quadrifoglio models, specifically, are returning, Tilstone simply points to customer demand:
“Eighty per cent of the [UK] market is still ICE,” he said. “People are looking for fun-to-drive performance ICE cars, and the Giulia and Stelvio offer that in spades.”
While I’m happy to see these cars stick around for another year, I’m far more interested in where the Quadrifoglio models will be sold. These twin-turbo V-6-powered trims left U.S. showrooms after the 2024 model year, but were still offered overseas up until last month. With production now restarting, I don’t see a reason why Alfa can’t just start shipping the cars over here again. The company did not immediately respond to my inquiries about this when reached by email.
Whether the Quads come back will likely depend on demand. Neither car is especially competitive anymore, having been launched nearly a decade ago. But they’re still pretty interesting cars that provide lots of smiles. With Alfa Romeo now a tiny percentage of sales for Stellantis in North America, it might not be worth the effort. Still, it’s nice to have fast Alfas available as an option to compare against all the typical German stuff. C’mon Alfa. Please?
Top graphic: Stellantis
TIL that Alfa cars have been available in the US.
The Giulia is such a great car! I traded mine in with around 160,000 miles in January and got a 330i. I miss the Giulia daily!
Never had any issues othar than having to replace the vapor canister and purge valve.
God, Stellantis is such a joke at this point
I’m not ashamed to admit that it’s Alfa’s reputation for unreliability (relative to Japanese cars anyway) that has kept me from buying one. I remember seeing the Giulia when it first came out at the LA Auto Show and of course, I was a bit enthralled. The shape of the sedan was right (not that I wouldn’t have liked it even more as a coupe) and the specs were very good, as was the emphasis on driving dynamics. And then those wheels: oh, those wheels!
They’re pretty affordable now on the used market, and I’m sure a four-banger version would be more than enough for me, and there’s even the Stelvio for those opposed to sedans, but the bugaboos remain. IIRC, Alfa has been right near the bottom of the reliability rankings in Consumer Reports for every single year of the past decade.
I just don’t want to spend more of the finite time I’ve got left going to/from mechanics/dealership service centers. So, no Alfa for me. 🙁
Ditto. They look great and are supposed to drive great, but they’re way too far along the crazy axis of the crazy-hot scale for me to take a chance on them.
My data point of one (coworker) with a Giulia was all I needed to not take the plunge. So many trips to the dealer it was comical.
They have always seemed lovelier to look at than to own. I particularly loved the 164 sedan and its redhead V6 engine. Just spectacular looking. But similarly intimidated by the reliability stories. Maybe that was all overstated, but in 1990 I couldn’t afford to be wrong.
I was going to to my usual cheapshit tactic and look for a reasonably solid used one. Then I looked at the procedure to change the timing belt.
I’ve had a BMW with the horrible N62 engine, I’ve done a timing set on the much-hated Ford V8 Triton, I’ve swapped a transmission in in a P2 Volvo, I’ve done the full rebuild on a Mercedes with the hydraulic ABC suspension.
The timing belt procedure on that Alfa looks BAD, and my standards are pretty low at this point. Most so-called “bad” jobs are declared as such because either they take a really long time and require you to take a dozen other systems apart to get at the repair or they demand a variety of hard-to-get tools or software. This looked like both of those AND there is nearly no room to get hands into that engine bay.
I still think of one now and again, but that’s ONE repair that thing would need. At least with the other cars I’ve worked on, there is a ton of info out there about what to do, I can get software for them and do my own thing. That Alfa looks like it would be extremely difficult to care for. As I do all my own work (permits me to own things I can’t actually afford) that one is a bit of a dealbreaker.
I occasionally watch Clarkson gush over the that white Quadrifoglio he drove and wonder if I could pull it off…
You know, the only thing separating Alfa’s struggles from BMW’s success is the knowledge that they exist to the premium car buyer.
Objectively, the reliability thing is a non-issue for the people that buy these types of cars (dude- in 2003 Jaguar sold FIFTY THOUSAND X-types)
FCA/Stellantis designed an incredible car here, with a design that is highly underrated-How many 10 year old luxury cars still look properly modern?
I really think they could have taken off if someone at FCA had the forethought to use influencers and social media to advertise these things as the “bmw/Mercedes/whatever for people who like to be a little louder, a little more fun, and a little different”.
Nah man, my friend owns a Guilia Quadrifolgio, 2024 so last model year, and it has been in the shop non-stop, has had no-start issues, electrical gremlins, left him stranded, etc. It’s common enough that they have that reputation, especially if you check the forums—meanwhile, BMWs, unless poorly maintained, are bulletproof more or less. The Alfa is more emotional to drive, but even that is barely there with a CS model in all honesty.
I hate to hear that, but my experience has been different. In the car dealership world they’ve actually got a reputation for being pretty solid cars, especially the late teens through 2020s cars. There’s always a problem child though, especially with Italian cars.
Yeah same. I’ve read pretty solid reviews on them before looking for my 2020 model a couple of years ago. 2.5 years in and I’m pretty happy with it. No major issues at all.
When I travel through more rural places and small towns outside of Detroit, I get the occasional “is that and Alfa?” or “nice Alfa!”. It’s like owning an exotic without exotic cost of ownership. Plus the handling is amazing! Sure, mine is not the Q, but it’s essentially the Q without the smoldering V6.
I’m giving the car to my son for his HS graduation in two years because he also loves it as much as I do.
“non-issue”. What are you talking about? Cars still break down no matter how much money you have.
You can replace every consumable imaginable including engine rebuilds and the whole wiring harness every month and a Stellantis product will still leave you stranded. Millionaires still need to call a tow truck.
Isn’t it strange that Japanese based GM products still drive on the road? And it’s not strange at all that there’s no evidence that an Alfa-Romeo Arna still exists.
After spending a good bit of time in the industry and getting to know a lot of people that buy cars, the people that shop for 50-80,000 dollar BMW/Mercedes/jaguar/Alfa etc cars very, VERY rarely bring up reliability. The people shopping for cars in this price bracket that DO care about long term reliability are buying acura and Lexus.
Everyone else just gets rid of them right before the warranty runs out.
They found a way to make it run? Advanced for alfa.
I can think of one. It begins with “t” and rhymes with “sheriff”.
I thot the tariff… but I did not thoot the deputy.
You need to get your teeth ficthed. 🙂
Theriously?
LMAO
Still dreaming of a manual modern alfa…
They made the Giulia Quadrifolgio in manual for the first few model years, apparently. Not in the US, though.
Originally when the Giulia hit our shores we were supposed to get a manual transmission version but for some reason that defies logic Stellantis did an about face and killed that idea. Which is a shame because it certainly would’ve made the Giulia stand out from its competitors.
If they had sold the Giulia with a proper transmission, that is one car that would have overcome my general loathing of sedans and there would be one in my garage. No stick, no sale.
My ’17 Accord V6 sedan would certainly be more fun with a stick, but I still like it. They did sell the V6 coupe with a stick, but I just like 4-doors better.
I’d prefer a coupe – the back seats of my cars are largely upholstered package shelves. But imagine a Giulia wagon. In the immortal words of Archer “I can only get so erect”. 🙂
In a good timeline we would have had all three choices, with a choice of autotragic or proper transmission. Plus a convertible. Then it would have been a proper 3-series competitor.
“Autotragic” LMAO! But the 6 speed AT in my Accord seems to be pretty competent. And I didn’t mind the CVT in a Sentra I recently rented.
I’ve had both and the manuals were certainly more engaging. The 5M in my ’01 Jetta TDI was wonderful. And still on the original clutch at 165K, when I sold it. Just needed a 6th gear in Texas.
My dad taught me how to rev-match and not even use the clutch down-shifting on my ’68 Datsun, but I read that was hard on the synchros and stopped doing that once I got out of the house.
You’re not wrong about the back seats for me these days. I just like shorter/lighter doors that I can open without dinging other people’s cars in tight parking spots.
I have no idea what I would buy if I had to replace my current car. And hopefully I won’t have to anytime soon.