After taking aim at the compact executive saloon market with the Giulia, Alfa Romeo is now planning on building a genuine 5-Series/A6/E-Class rival.
According to AutoExpress, he new Alfa will be based on the same RWD platform as the Giulia, meaning it will share some (if not all) of its engines, such as the 2.2-liter diesel with either 150 PS (148 HP) or 180 PS (177 HP), as well as the 200 PS (197 HP) 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol and a six-cylinder diesel to fight off the likes of the 530d, A6 3.0 TDI and E 350d.
As stated by FCA chief technology officer Harald Wester, the petrol unit has plenty of tuning potential so it could even receive a power boost if it’s to end up on the larger mid-size model, though the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s twin-turbo V6 come in handy here. Gearbox-wise, the new model should get an 8-speed automatic and a 6-speed manual (like the Giulia), with the UK-maker version likely to be automatic only.
“We owe our investors a constant stream of new, fresh global products that can be sold,” said Wester. “It will be relatively fast sequence of relevant and saleable products like saloons and SUVs.”
Alfa Romeo Europe boss Fabrizio Curci went on record saying that his company will start “electrification” around 2018, which means the mid-size saloon will also get a plug-in hybrid version.
“The platform is built to support whatever kind of electrification we do,” said Curci. “It can support everything from plug-in hybrid to full electric.” It should also support four-wheel drive and semi-autonomous driving.
We’ll likely need to wait until around 2018 in order for Alfa Romeo to actually build this car, as the next in line after the Giulia is the Stelvio SUV.
Pictured: Alfa Romeo Giorgio rendering via Theophilus Chin
PHOTO GALLERY
