To No One’s Surprise, Alfa Romeo Won’t Go EV-Only by 2027 After All

Alfa Romeo has joined the ranks of carmakers that are backtracking their lofty EV promises in favor of a more realistic multi-energy approach. The brand, which is owned by Stellantis, planned to go electric-only by 2027. One of its top executives confirmed that strategy has been abandoned, at least for the U.S. market.

“The biggest thing in our product and technology road map is transitioning from what was a BEV-only strategy for Alfa to one that is multi-energy,” said Chris Feuell, the head of Alfa Romeo North America, in an interview with industry trade journal Automotive News (subscription required). “We’ve got 118 dealers in our U.S. network, and it would be very challenging for them to survive with a BEV-only portfolio.”

In 2023, Alfa Romeo proudly announced that the Tonale was the last gasoline-burning car it would ever launch. That’s no longer the case, which leads us to wonder what the future holds for its range of models.

In the United States, the Alfa Romeo range consists of the Giulia, the Stelvio, and the Tonale. The first two are about 10 years old, and while they’re still a tremendous amount of fun to drive they’re both nearing the end of their life cycle. What’s next is up in the air. The rumors detailing electric-only replacements are no longer credible, and it’s unclear whether this means that Alfa Romeo needs to start from scratch.

While this is pure speculation, it’s not too far-fetched to imagine that the next Giulia and Stelvio could still use a version of the STLA Large platform that underpins the latest Dodge Charger, among other models. It can underpin EVs and gasoline-burning cars, and it’s compatible with both sedans and SUVs. Using an existing platform would also allow Alfa Romeo to save money and time during the development process. Alfa Romeo could also borrow powertrain components, including motors and engines, from Dodge.

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As for the Tonale crossover, it went on sale across the nation last year with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. The on-again, off-again non-electrified trim is finally on its way to showrooms, and it should play a significant role in boosting Alfa Romeo’s sales in our market. Leases will initially start at approximately $399 a month.

That’s it for the brand’s range in the United States. Globally, there’s a small crossover-hatchback mash-up called Junior that starts at €29,900 in Italy (about $31,500 at the current conversion rate). It’s offered with either electric or hybrid power, and the odds of seeing it in the United States are low due to its tiny size.

Feuell said that her biggest concern is “the viability of the [dealer] network,” Automotive News reported. In the United States, Alfa Romeo sales have dropped for four consecutive years. The brand sold 8,865 cars in 2024, a 19 percent drop compared to the 10,898 cars sold in 2023. To put that figure into context, the Dodge Hornet (which is closely related to the Tonale) outsold the entire Alfa range with 20,559 sales in 2024.

Cast in that light, not going electric-only makes a massive amount of sense. Time will tell if launching a new version of the Giulia and the Stelvio will be enough to turn around Alfa Romeo’s sales, or if the brand needs a broader line-up with more mass-market appeal to grow in the famously tough American market.

What’s certain is that Alfa Romeo is not the first carmaker to abandon its EV-only plans, and it’s probably not the last. Porsche touted the new, second-generation Macan as an electric-only model for years, but it recently hinted that it’s open to putting a gasoline-burning engine in it. Ford said going electric-only by 2030 in Europe is too ambitious, Fiat is working quickly to turn the 500e EV into a hybrid, Lotus cooled its EV-only rhetoric, and even Volvo quietly announced that it’s “adjusting [its] electrification ambitions.”