Alexandre
The boss ofAlfa RomeoSanto Ficili, recently spoke about the possible return of a new generation Giulietta. Unfortunately for fans of this compact car, his answer is clear and unequivocal. In an interview with the Argus media, he said: "Honestly, at the moment, I don't see a future for a Giulietta, because there's no demand for a compact sedan. Today, the Giulietta is the Tonale."
Santo Ficili recalls that he has had twenty Giuliettas in his life and considers them to be fantastic cars. Yet the reality of the market has changed: "We have to follow market demand, and customers want SUVs. And we have to sell cars."
This statement puts a definitive end to speculation about a possible return of the Giulietta, production of which ceased in December 2020. Indeed, although the Giulietta enjoyed undoubted popularity at its peak, with sales reaching 78,911 units in Europe in its best year, its successor is not on the agenda. Between 2010 and 2020, 482,150 units were sold.
As early as 2022, the Tonale was seen as the indirect successor to the Giulietta. This SUV quickly took the place of the former compact in Alfa Romeo's range, responding to current consumer expectations.
However, the latest statements from Jean-Philippe Imparato, the brand's CEO, call into question the compact's definitive absence. In 2023, he said: "I'm not sure we can't make money, even with a hatchback", a statement that suggests Alfa Romeo may well consider a return to this segment, but only if the brand's profitability is assured.
The product plan validated by Stellantis calls for a major launch every year until 2027, but no compact is scheduled before 2028.. The program will initially focus on the Junior small urban SUV, before renewing the Stelvio in 2025 and Giulia crossover in 2026. A large SUV is also on the drawing board.
However, according to a document we obtained dating from 2022, the electric Giulietta 100 % was on the drawing board at Stellantis, based on an STLA Medium platform.
Against this backdrop, the question arises: is Alfa Romeo definitively focusing on SUVs at the expense of compact cars? An assumption that seems plausible, especially as Alfa Romeo is leaving a space for Lancia. The Lancia Ypsilon 2024 could be seen as an equivalent of the Alfa Romeo Mito and, why not, a Lancia Delta in 2028 as a spiritual successor to the Giulietta. Alfa Romeo has global ambitions, while Lancia positions itself as a European brand.
Alfa Romeo's return to the compact segment seems to have been postponed, with a particular focus on SUVs. Giulietta fans will have to turn to the Junior or the Tonale, or to Lancia with the Ypsilon or the future Delta. Who knows, one day a new Giulietta will complete the range.
Incomprehensible. Out of touch.
Over the past 20 years, the 147 and Giulietta have kept the brand at arm's length.
Can you imagine for a second Volkswagen not renewing its Golf? Ford its Focus? Audi's A3? Peugeot's 308? Seat its Leon? Honda Civic? BMW its 1 Series ?
Do the group's executives take drugs?
I've had a 147, I drive a Giulietta: to switch to a Junior or a Tonale, I don't even think about it.
I'd like to hear from other owners to see if I'm a special case.
The C-Hatch segment has been in significant decline for several years, a victim of the B-SUV boom.
Only a few emblematic models are resisting, such as the Golf (well helped by its home market) or Toyota's Corolla.
The C-Hatch segment was a specific feature of the European market, which had long favored this type of vehicle.
But this period is coming to an end, just as it did for D-segment sedans, which suffered the onslaught of C-segment SUVs: today, only the 3 Series, C-Class and Model3 are achieving respectable scores, all the other players having abandoned this segment for lack of sales.
Several automakers are planning not to renew their C-Hatch, and not the least: no next A-Class from Mercedes, Ford is also discontinuing the Focus, and Peugeot/Citroën/Opel are asking a lot of questions internally.
With Alfa having deserted the segment since 2019/2020 during the Elkann/Marchionne era, we don't see why we should still invest in a brand that has lost all legitimacy and doesn't even sell 70,000 cars a year.
An Alfa is a "popular" (well, affordable) sports car that's relatively more reliable than small-series Italian GTs, precisely because larger production runs allow for industrial processes that improve quality to the detriment of exclusivity. Gasoline engines range from 1600 to 3200 CC, with 4 or 6 cylinders to suit all budgets. Plus the occasional exceptional vehicle like the GTA or 8C...
They're certainly electrically powered SUVs.
I couldn't agree more: an SUV is not like a compact car.
With the future Giulia Crossover, Alfa Romeo is abandoning all cars that are a little low-slung. No more compacts, no more sedans, no more Italian engines - what misery!
いや同じだろボケ
As for me, I've just taken the plunge!
I ordered a Mazda to replace my 2014 Giulietta QV, this is my last Alfa after 6 models of the brand.
Damage
I had high hopes for Imparato, I think he failed, talked a good talk but ultimately failed! New guy after this announcement seems destined to do the same...
There's still a strong market for family hatchbacks as Potté has pointed out. Tonale failed, Junior, we'll see... I've been driving Alfa's for over 30 years and I believe the last "real" Alfa is indeed the Guilia. Alfa has already priced themselves in Prestige territory, though not currently deserved, their reputation is still crap!,Nobody really buys cars with emotion anymore, they want versatile appliances/white goods. Sad so it is. 1 new car a year for the next 2 years, then what? As for their current design I was expecting more of Romano Mesoneras after the Formentor. That grille on the Junior Ellectrica is hideous IMO, though I like the Alfa script on the petrol one.. and now word has it that the new 2027 Guilia is going to be a "Fastback".. don't Fiat do one of those in Brazil!!! Saints preserve me!!
No, you're not a special case. I've owned 2 Guillieta, and it was an extraordinary car. I reluctantly parted with it in August 2024, because my wife, who was handicapped, could no longer tolerate journeys of more than 50 km. I opted for a Toyota HCR, a compact SUV with a very smooth ride, automatic and all that, but it's not a car, it's a computer on wheels! At nearly 79, I'm not going to change, but the Guillieta will remain in my thoughts as the best car I've ever owned.
A new Giulietta I would buy tomorrow. Dark paint, sleek. Tonale feels like a dull battery.
No to an SUV for me. Gulietta I have now is great to drive and does everything I need.
That said I'd love to see a new spider with a real engine and manual gearbox. Compete with the mx5!
Alfist for more than 20 years, I'm not a guesser, but reading the new CEO, no Giulietta project. More in tune with the times, blah blah blah... diesel, petrol ditto. Except that a lot of manufacturers are going back to petrol. No big engine!! yet the US market is waiting for it. I'm lucky enough to have been to the USA several times, and when you talk to car enthusiasts, Alfa can't make it there with small 4-cylinders. The European cars we see there are BMW 440i, M3, M5, Mercedes AMG, Audi RS. In France, when I bought my 1st Giulia, a cab friend told me that if Alfa released it as an SW, it would be a hit with cabs. In the end, nothing happened, but there was plenty of demand. Mito, Giulietta, no replacements. STELLANTIS (well, PSA) because it gives the impression that they're in charge. Which brands in the STELLANTIS group are doing well? None, Peugeot and Citroen with their puretech are causing sales to plummet, DS cata, Opel no better, the Italians! Maserati in the abyss, Alfa suffocating, FIAT very average, Abarth not much better. The Americans Chrysler has never managed to reinvent itself, Dodge average as RAM. Well, I've done the not-so-great STELLANTIS tour. Let's not forget that the Germans keep coming out with big engines, little bombs, etc., and they sell. So .......?????
We need to get back to reality.
Alfa has never made a breakthrough in the USA, because the brand lacks the legitimacy of the true German premium brands.
You can't improve sales in the U.S. and elsewhere just by putting in big engines.
Alfa is a far cry from Mercedes in terms of design, research, product, geographical coverage, after-sales service, etc...
As for the SW silhouette on Giulia, it's still a mistake to believe that this model's career would have been transcended.
In Europe, the station wagon represents less than 6% of the market.
Among generalists, the station wagon will disappear: the 308 SW was narrowly approved but will not be renewed. The same fate awaits the 508 SW, which will not be renewed.
No more station wagons from Renault, Citroen or Ford. The Astra Estate will have the same fate as the 308 SW. VW is also set to discontinue the GOLF SW.
As for the performance of Stellantis' brands, you're making too many shortcuts.
In Europe, Peugeot is well ahead of all the Group's brands, even if it has suffered from Tavares' policy of focusing on margins rather than volumes.
The Italians are now minor players, with Fiat sailing at 2.3% market share (15th place), Alfa must be in 30th place...
Fiat's only saving grace is its high volumes in Brazil, thanks to its small, archaic models and pick-up range.
In the United States, there's a lot of whining, but the group has no generalist brand capable of competing with Toyota, Ford, GM, Honda and the Korean brands...
The Americans went crazy with Jeep, imagining it to be an "American Land Rover", when in fact it's more of a "utilitarian brand" with no pretensions to luxury.
Chrysler sells barely 100,000 vehicles a year in the USA, and has become a ghost brand.
Dodge is marginalizing itself by being unable to evolve outside its muscle cars. That's not the way to conquer America, let alone the world...
RAM, on the other hand, is a real "cash machine" with its wide range of pick-ups.
"People want suvs" is nonsense! What are the A-Class, Audi A3 and BMW 1? Suvs maybe, no, and yet they have more volume than the dreadful Tonale.
And what's more, they're abandoning the giulia too! Quite a management style at stelantis.
As an Alfista since 1998, I'm dismayed by the path Alfa Romeo is taking. It is abandoning its flagship models in favor of panzer stellantisė. It was with a heavy heart that I decided to abandon Alfa in favor of Mazda.
Hello
I'm an alfist and it frustrates me to see only suvs and 4×4s now in their range It's distressing!
A sports brand that plans to compete again and offers nothing that doesn't resemble a sports car, apart from the guilia, which they want to be raised like the Renault arkana, a horror!
Even a Guilia station wagon would satisfy customers and fathers of families who are passionate about the brand, including myself.
Alfa Romeo sometimes makes dubious choices, and passion and business no longer go hand in hand.
貴方はSUV依存ですか？
Damage
Es ist erstaunlich wie leidensgähig wir Alfisti's sind. Bei Alfa Romeo sind nur Chaoten in den oberen Etagen beschäftigt, wir haben zu ihnen gehalten als sie Rostlauben produziert haben welche nach zwei Jahren schon zum rosten begonnen haben. Und jetzt bauen sie formlose Kisten für Rentner und oĥn̈e Seele. Nach dem Stelvo und der Giulia wird's auch nicht besser werden , das nennt man Kundenorientierung !
Diese Woche war ich bei einem (kleinen) Alfa-Romeo-Händler, überall um mich herum, bis auf eine Giulia, nur SUVs. Es gibt keinen wirklichen "😍"-Effekt mehr...
As it happens, I still have a Giulietta Veloce 1750 tbi, and when I saw the Tonale, its design and its engines, I never considered buying it.
I might be interested in the Junior if there were other hybrid combustion engines, but not the PureTech.
There's still a market for compact cars, as other brands are proving.
Alfa Romeo made the same mistake with the Giulietta by not replacing it as Fiat, which never replaced the Punto.
If nothing changes and Alfa and Maserati remain with Stellantis, the 2 brands will have ceased producing cars by 2030.
Ich bin 68 Jahre alt und mochte immer die Fahrzeuge aus dem Hause Alfa Romeo, fuhr allerdings bis vor fünf Jahren immer Citroen: CX, BX, XM. Da Citroen immer langweiliger wurde, habe ich mir meinen Jugendtraum erfüllt: ALFA❤️! Sogar meine Tochter fährt eine Giulia und ist, wie ich, begeistert von Alfa. Aber was bleibt von dem Mythos künftig noch übrig?
I understand the Americans are getting a 2.0 petrol Tonale, while Europe is not. Even a 21st Century Alfa needs to have a characterful power train. It might have to follow the herd in terms of shape but if they don't give us a reason to desire it, there is no hope.
A jaw-dropping, rorty engined compact Alfa would carve a niche of it's own. Be brave. Break the mould. Audi are still developing ultra efficient diesel hybrids. Look there for inspiration.
I'm in love with Alfa Romeo, but I despair at the direction Alfa is taking. I don't want an SUV, for me it's a pleasure to be behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo, whereas to me an SUV represents a utility vehicle. I live in the mountains, so I have a Japanese SUV for utility and an Alfa for pleasure. If Alfa Romeo starts making only SUVs. What will I have left?
Drive and enjoy a Lancia, but I don't want electrics, puretech engines, downsizing, or any of that green nonsense.
I'll have to look elsewhere. But where? The Tonale to replace the Giulietta? What a joke! In bad taste! As are these SUVs with which Alfa, after other brands (not bad the Jaguar SUV, no?) has lost its soul.
Amazing! They're completely out of touch! People NEED these compact sedans, because for many, Suvs are unaffordable! Or they don't want one, and are forced to pay 50k for a Tonale when the Giuletta sold for 35k... How many friends decide not to change their Giuletta because they don't want a Suv? Lots of them! As for electric cars (I have the point of view of a Swiss where there are plenty of recharging points), they're much cheaper to drive than petrol or diesel, I don't have to do any servicing, I've got an 8-year warranty... the power is incredible and the handling better, I'm sorry but it's the future, at least for small countries and urban centers.
What a mistake, 74-year-old me waiting for a new Giulietta to come out !!!!
What a disappointment mine is 13 years old and still a beautiful car.
What the hell am I going to do at Lancia?
It's esparto I want.
Customers like big dung, so we give it to them until they're sick of it. Alfa under Stelantis is a shadow of its former self. But the fault also lies with customers who no longer know anything about cars. Customers who want suvs, giant screens and gadgets, each one more useless than the last, but who make do with rear drum brakes...sad.
Our brilliant strategists claim to follow the market, but they don't: they look at a table of margins, and therefore retain the biggest and most expensive models. As for customers, they don't choose, they buy what they're told, like good big sheep.
If the industry really followed customers' wishes, it would be a beautiful, affordable, practical and versatile car - the exact opposite of the current and future range. Let's not forget that the Giulietta has sold a constant 60,000 units a year throughout its career, with an assured clientele. But decision-makers are stuck in a way of thinking that has been instilled in them, and which generates unsaleable models.
I couldn't agree more.
Die haben keine Ahnung sorry.Ich bin alfisti seit geburt, was denken Sie sie können nur Stelvio und Giulia verkaufen?Wo bleiben die kombis? Und eben Giulietta Mito etc...Nicht jeder hat 100000fr für ein Giulia oder Stelvio.Tonale ist totaler Mist.....Alfa Romeo ist Leidenschaft Sport Leistung....hört auf diese Marke entgültig kaputt zu machen mit euren schrott elektro....Ihr könnt von mir aus Lancia und Fiat elektrisch anbieten aber bestimmt nicht Alfa Romeo_00nein echt... Keine Ahnung diese CEO'S.....Die sollen mal die richtigen alfisti fragen was die wollen......Alfaromeo soll wieder für alle alfisti etwas zu bieten haben.Die machen immer die gleichen Fehler lernen nie daraus....
I've just bought a DS4 and it could make a base for a great Giulietta.
Not with the underpowered 1.2 that it comes with, but a decent 1.6 or 1.8 and Alfa styling. A lovely hatch or coupé
I'm willing to change my giulietta for a tonale as long as they put in a bigger engine. As for the junior, I don't even want to hear about it, it's such a failure, nothing like an alfa Romeo!
Es ist furchtbar was das Management aus Alfa Romeo macht! Es gibt immer noch echte Alfisti, die gerne ein Coupé oder einen für Sportwagen Rennen tauglichen Wagen möchten. Wieso muss immer das Beste zuerst aufgegeben werden? Klar, für die Batterien bei einem E-Auto braucht man einen halben Lastwagen, um diese unterzubringen. Schaut sich das Management auch die Realität an? Grosswagen wie SUV und Geländewagen werden steuerlich extrem verteuert, und in Städten findet man für Autos mit knapp 5m Länge und über 2m Breite keinen Parkplatz mehr. Gerade Stellantis sollte sich Paris als Anstoss nehmen. Ich fahre 51 Jahren Alfa Romeo - die aktuellen Fahrzeuge machen kaum mehr Freude ... man gleitet bei 1800 U/M über die Autobahn. Emotionen bieten höchstens noch der Stelvio und die Giulia mit 520 PS. Ich kaufe mir bald einen Alfa Oldtimer, dann schlägt mein Herz wieder höher.
Santo Ficili doesn't understand anything about Alfa, the sporting heart he doesn't know what it is. I've had Alfa cars for 40 years and I'm currently driving a Giulietta and enjoying it. I'd like to change cars and continue with an Alfa, but nothing appeals to me and buying an SUV like everyone else is negative. A manager who loves Alfa Romeo should bring back small sports cars like the Mito or the Giulietta, which have a real sporting spirit. If he wants to follow the current trend and make trucks, he should go to Iveco.
@Potté " Can you imagine Volkswagen not renewing its Golf for a second? Ford its Focus? Audi's A3? Peugeot its 308? Seat its Leon? Honda its Civic? BMW its 1 Series ?
The Focus will be discontinued in November 2025, like the Fiesta and Mondeo, to be replaced by an SUV.
As SEAT is set to disappear, no new Léon is planned.
For the others, it'll happen eventually...
In any case, you should keep at least one "low" car (a normal car). The full-SUV is just plain stupid.
Früher war ich ein Fan italienischer Marken und bin einige Alfas gefahren (keine SUV). Wenn ich mir jetzt das Portfolio von Stellantis ansehe, lässt mich das etwas ratlos zurück. Natürlich gibt es da Ferrari, für mich außer Reichweite und auch zu extrem. Maserati hätte vom Image eine Chance gehabt, gegen BMW, Mercedes oder Audi zu bestehen, wurde aber Modelle wie Ghibili und Quattroporte wurden zu teuer angesetzt und offenbar aus Budgetmangel nicht wirklich weiterentwickelt. Auch bei Alfa hat man das Herz der Marke offenbar nicht wirklich verstanden. Sie strahlen heute keinen besonderen Charme aus und können qualitativ und technologisch nicht mit der Konkurrenz mithalten. So bin auch ich längst auf BMW umgestiegen. Es droht ein ähnliches Schicksal wie Jaguar, die gerade zusperren und wohl kaum wiederkommen.
Ich habe das Gefühl, bei Stellantis stochert man bei der Markenansammlung konzeptlos herum und hofft auf den einen oder anderen Glückstreffer. Man kommt nicht auf das Level der deutschen Marken (die - bis auf BMW - auch ziemlich unter Druck geraten sind) und von unten drängen die Chinesen mit interessanter Qualität zu günstigen Preisen, aber eben ohne besonderes Image.
Der Stelvio sollte den Kombi der Giulia übernehmen, naja. Und alle wollen SUV statt Kompaktwagen?
Ich denke, die letzten Kunden von Alfa werden gerade auch noch vertrieben, weil sie nicht ernst genommen werden.
Liebe Grüße an die Ingenieure, die es nicht schaffen, den Geschwindigkeitsassitenten zuverlässig zu entwickeln für alle Giulia und Stelvio seit nunmehr 5 Jahren. Da braucht man sich um eine neue Giulietta keine Gedanken mehr zu machen.
Ja manchmal fragt man sich, woher solche Umfragen kommen? SUVs werden vom Kunden nicht nachgefragt, sondern es gibt schlichtweg keine Alternativen, weder im Kompakt- noch im Kleinwagensegment. Der R5 zeigt dem Markt, was die Kunden von heute haben möchten. Vielleicht können die Manager bei Stellantis bei Renault nachfragen was die besser machen.
If you don't have a product there is no demand for it. I've had Giulietta for eight years and it's a nice car. But when it's time for replacement I'll have to buy Mazda 3 instead of new Giulietta.
I'll probably buy a F20 Série 1...
Too bad I was waiting for this segment to come out so I could buy an Alfa...
We'll take our business elsewhere without a second thought.
The managers don't have the salaries of the majority of customers and my Giulietta with its 320000km suits me very well and in 2020 I bought a new one just in case and I did well when the 13 year old one will be really out of breath I'll use the 2020 joker 🙂
This will probably make way for the Lancia Delta due in 2028...
They are selling a product built on a brand image. And that brand image has been built on quality and stylish sports sedans, not pimped up bread vans. The more Alfa bread vans ( built on a Peugeot chassis) that hit the road, the more the brand cache will fade and the fewer cars they will sell. They desperately need a boss with a strategic head on his shoulders.
You are absolutely right, unfortunately.
Overall, all Stellantis managers are rubbish, and this is clearly seen in terms of quality but also in sales which are falling precipitously for all brands in all markets.
When I see the long-term management of Toyota which sells more and more each year (they recover the sales lost by other groups, notably Stellantis), when I see that Renault is emerging from the hole with De Meo, and that I see the team of underachievers we have with Stellantis...
It's a pity that you no longer produce compact sedans. Not everyone wants an SUV. You risk losing customers while other manufacturers continue to make them.
Nobody questions that Alpha is one of the most beautiful cars that's been designed to date. What we need I think is a sporty extreme version of the Guilia with 2 seats, possibly 2 + 2 in a rear engine or Mid Engine design with Alpha's gorgeous body work. Why can't they just make this like a mini Corvette since they have the unbelievable beauty of their coach work and they have the terrific ability to build the underpinnings.
The only thing they have to update is the quality and the dealers. I'd buy it in a Heartbeat probably around $50k.
Maybe most people will think I'm talking about the Alfa Romeo 4c. But getting into that car I literally had the fold both of my legs completely to the back of both thighs just to get in. It's just too cramped too small for the average American I feel. Take the 4C and build it up a little bit, maybe a bigger engine with electrical assist to add to the gas mileage and keep that same beauty of that 4c.
The thing Alpha needs is a loss leader just to pull this company up to standards that nobody thinks they can do so far.
Also there's a Zagato which is a beautiful car absolutely stunning I feel. This is the ideal car they need but I don't know what the costs of the Zagato are and I know it's extremely hard to get a hold of one. The Zagato is the platform you should build this car on and I swear to you if the quality is there and the dealerships are there you'll sell thousands IF it's just like the vette and much better because it's stunning.
People are afraid of ALFA because of the lack of support for the brand but enthusiasts aren't.
Can someone who knows how, tag Alfa with an extended screenshot of this on X/Twitter? I would buy a new Giuletta upon release.
Die DNA von Alfa Romeo steht für mich nicht im Zusammenhang mit SUV's. So habe ich mich nach 9 Alfas in 20 Jahren meines Alfisti-Daseins schon vor ein paar Jahren der Marke abgewandt. Die "schwachbrüstigen" Antriebe die in einem Tonale oder Junior angeboten werden entsprechen nicht dem Markenkern. Somit wird sich selbst mit einem SUV der Erfolg nicht einstellen. Cupra mit dem VZ5 oder unlängst der Mut von Mazda einen 6-Zylinder zu bringen versprühen mehr Esprit als Alfa!
Oh yes, the Tonale has replaced the Gulietta! And since it's an S.U.V, it works! People want S.U.Vs!
Does the ceo think we're stupid?
The Tonale is a real flop and he dares to say that when the Gulietta has sold superbly...
In short, I have no hope of returning to Alfa, or else a used Gulia.
So why does Mazda continue to sell the 3 with 2-liter engines? And it works! I took this Mazda in 2022, but of course I would have bought a Gulietta if it had been replaced.
The Stelantis group is off the mark and heading straight for the wall.
I have had my Giulietta brand new since 2011 2.0 jtdm. 2 170bhp never failed an mot never had no work done to it but last year i upgrade it with full upgrades suspension front and rear bigger turbo straight through exhaust system upgrade fuel pump stage 3 clutch upgrade injectors egr delete no cat running 740bhp boost control system and watermeth cooling injection
I have had 9 alfas in 27yr through thick and thin.I now run for last 7yrs a guiletta 1750qv tct I am now 76 and don't think I will see another desirable alfa in my lifetime
Below Giulia/Stelvio, I think Mazda and Ford are now the nearest in my book. Had Mazda 3, CX5 after 4 Alfas. Nearly got a Puma. And you can have those with a GREAT manual gearbox. Neither have that Alfaness, granted. I have kept the Mazda 3 and replaced the CX5 with a Stelvio. Best of both worlds, for me. And just got me thinking... If no car company can survive on its own, instead of using Peugeot, what if Alfa used Mazda or Ford as the basis? Or if they took Alfa off Stellantis? Or, and here's a thought, do a bit of a Steve Jobs iPhone/Elon Musk Tesla thing and do something YOU believe the people will want after you show them how great it is! Not designed by a committee of accountants- please!
Mhaaa, infatti le vendite al vertice in Europa sono tutti SUV, chiamati Sandero, Clio e Golf. O mi sbaglio?