Stellantis has, like many automakers, been signaling that planned pivot toward all-electric vehicles hasn’t gone as intended. We recently covered rumors that HEMI V8s would be reentering production inside the United States and there is now evidence that Alfa Romeo doesn’t think its customers will go for performance EVs either.
Officially, Stellantis is still married to the concept of electrification. However, we’ve seen plenty of unofficial evidence that it’s eager to slow the transition down to maintain sales. This has included statements from the upper management of numerous brands — including Alfa Romeo.
According to Europe’s CAR, Alfa Romeo’s head of marketing and communication believes that performance-focused Quadrifoglio models wouldn’t work as EVs.
From CAR:
In March 2025, for example, Porsche rowed back on its EV commitments by announcing it was ‘evaluating’ a new, petrol-powered SUV to compensate for the Macan EV’s disappointingly slow sales. Mercedes-AMG’s boss also told CAR he lost customers by replacing the brand’s thundering V8s with plug-in hybrid four-cylinder powertrains.
Alfa has finally cottoned onto the trend – and it’s set about saving its V6 engine from the executioner. I had the company’s current plans for the future of Quadrifoglio explained to me by Cristiano Fiorio, head of the Alfa Romeo’s marketing and communication department.
He told me: ‘everyone expresses the fact that they want an Alfa Romeo with a Quadrifoglio. This is pretty clear […] because Quadrifoglio is the pinnacle of the brand – and we will continue to have Quadrifoglio forever. That’s a no brainer.’
But then, Fiorio dropped a bomb. He said: ‘Personally, I do not see a Quadrifoglio EV. I see a Quadrifoglio which has the sound of a real engine. As of now. Maybe in five years things will change. But as of now, the Quadrifoglio to me – to us – should be something with a roar.
‘That is something that is expressed by fans – by customers – because the penetration of Quadrifoglio in many markets is very interesting. So, we will have to continue to give to clients what they want.’
Automakers assumed EVs would be highly profitable due to their requiring fewer hands on the assembly line, ability to circumvent government emission regulations, benefiting from corporate ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investments, and the associated government incentives designed to boost consumer demand. Some brands have even alleged that they’re more fun to drive and cheaper to own. However, that doesn’t appear to be manifesting into robust sales.
Legacy automakers have had difficulties fielding brand-new EVs and the resulting products aren’t getting the kind of attention manufacturers had hoped for. America’s best-selling vehicles continue to be pure-combustion or hybridized vehicles, with Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y being the only relevant exceptions. Meanwhile, driving enthusiasts seem to scoff at the notion that EVs are the more exciting option.
This is perhaps best embodied by the redesigned Dodge Charger Daytona, which has grown larger, heavier, and launched with an all-electric powertrain. Despite boasting impressive straight-line acceleration, the prevailing opinion is that it’s more of a comfortable cruiser than a raucous muscle car. Reviewers have likewise criticized the faux engine noise ( produced by the “Fratzonic” speaker) and high MSRP.
While there is likewise an internal-combustion variant featuring the turbocharged Hurricane 3.0-liter inline six — and perhaps even HEMI V8s further into the future — the all-electric version has proven to be quite controversial. Alfa Romeo presumably noticed this, and other examples, before deciding that the electrification of Quadrifoglio models could be a bad idea.
But what engine would Alfa actually use?
The 2.9-liter (690T) turbocharged V6 found in most of the brand’s high-performance models is capable of producing over 500 horsepower. But it would need to be updated in order to comply with Euro 7 emissions standards. When asked about this, Fiorio was careful not to say too much because the answer would effectively give away which powertrain would be going into the updated Stelvio and Giulia Quadrifoglio models.
“At the end of the day, if you express a high powertrain version for the Giulia and Stelvio which — by the way — are big cars, I would not see two, three, four cylinders,” he said. “‘I don’t know. Maybe it’s easier with six cylinders.”
That effectively guarantees that the brand will either be updating the 2.9-liter “690T” V6 for emissions or, perhaps more likely, swap it for the 3.0-liter “Hurricane” I6 (pictured above) that Stellantis had started using to replace the HEMI V8.
Your author is inclined to believe it will be the Hurricane, as Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has previously stated that the new Giulia Quadrifoglio would use the same Stellantis STLA Large platform that underpins the redesigned Dodge Challenger. Considering the Dodge is already designed to use the 3.0-liter I6, and we know that Alfa doesn’t want to electrify Quadrifoglio models, that seems like a plausible engine choice.
The deciding factor will presumably be how small the new Stelvio and Giulia engine bays are in relation to the Charger and how much money it costs to update the 2.9-liter 690T to comply with European emissions.
Fiorio made it seem like updating the older 690T motor (pictured below) for use in newer vehicles was absolutely possible, however. The STLA platform is apparently ready to accept whatever powertrain the company can legally get away with — including combustion, hybrids, and purely electric.
He also bemoaned how complicated modern vehicles have become and alleged the trend is robbing people of driving enjoyment, which is pretty hard to disagree with.
“The cars today have too much,” he said. “In general, cars have too much. Too many buttons, too much technology.”
‘Why? Because, of course, the development of technology helps a lot — and when it helps to save lives, I love it. It’s more than fine. But then, the cars have to be driven and I want the pleasure of driving, not the pleasure of playing a video game or having an infotainment in the car to look at movies. That, I don’t think at all is the purpose of our brand,” Fiorio continued. “The purpose of our brand is to give to customers cars that are nice to drive — and when you want to drive and you want to feel the pleasure of driving, they respond to your needs. If you have to understand the technology before driving, that cannot be an Alfa Romeo.”
Things can certainly change. Last year, most of us were under the impression that the next high-performance Alfas would probably be all-electric vehicles. But it sounds like the brand has been listening to its customer base and wants to do whatever it takes to remain in their good graces.
[Images: Stellantis, Mateusz Rostek/Shutterstock]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
