Hallelujah! Hot new Alfa Romeo Guilia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio models will keep petrol power

Auto Express has learned that the next-generation Alfa Romeo Guilia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio will get petrol power after all – potentially in the form of the Italian brand’s famous V6 engine.

For some time, Alfa had intended that the new Stelvio premium SUV set to be revealed later this year and the next Guilia saloon arriving in 2026 would be all-electric. However, CEO Santo Ficili recently confirmed that both models would now be offered with hybridised petrol engines in addition to zero-emissions powertrains. 

Following this announcement, we spoke to the brand’s head of marketing and communication, Cristiano Fiorio, who revealed to us that the plans for the high-performance Quadrifoglio versions of these models have also changed in response to customer demand.

Fiorio certainly seemed pleased that the Guilia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio would be getting petrol power, as he told us: “Personally, I do not see a Quadrifoglio EV. I see a Quadrifoglio which has the sound of a real engine.”

Alfa’s marketing chief did admit that his opinion could change in time, but “as of now, the Quadrifoglio to me, to us, should be something with a roar”. 

He continued: “And that is something that is expressed by fans but also by customers who want to buy one, and we have to continue to give to clients what they want.”

Originally, the plan was to just have an electric Guilia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio with about 1,000bhp and 0-62mph times of around two seconds. These versions could still be offered alongside the petrol-powered ones, although Fiorio told us: “We look at data every day, and if you see the data of the high-performance electric car market, it’s different from what we or anyone thought it would be three or four years ago, because it didn’t ramp up to the numbers that everyone expected.

“So there are a number of players in the market that adopted their strategy to what the reality is, and so I think that we have to read the data, read the clients’ needs and wants, and then adapt our strategy to that, too.”

Is there some life left in the famous Alfa Romeo V6?

Sadly, Fiorio wouldn’t reveal exactly what engine will lie beneath the bonnet of the next Guilia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio. However, when we asked him directly whether the highly praised, twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 from the current models could live on, he quickly responded: “You said something which is not far from our thoughts.”

Fiorio added: “Because at the end of the day, if you express a high power version for Guilia or Stelvio, which by the way are big cars, I would not see two, three, four cylinders in there. I don’t know, but maybe it’s easier with six cylinders.”

The STLA Large platform that will underpin the next Stelvio and Guilia certainly shouldn’t limit Alfa’s choice of engine, because, according to Fiorio, “the good thing is that the platform was developed to be a multi-energy architecture, so there is zero problem in adapting it to any kind of engine”.

We also enquired if Alfa would pair this unknown engine with any level of hybrid assistance, particularly after the new BMW M5 was launched featuring plug-in hybrid technology. 

Again, Fiorio wouldn’t share any details, but this time because “there are on the table a couple of alternatives at the moment, and we have to respond in the exact moment to a worldwide sensitivity of clients and we have some markets – you can guess which ones – still have to decide on a few big things in the next few weeks”.

He concluded: “So once we will finalise the picture worldwide, then we will press a button on alternative A or alternative B. But both I feel are very interesting, and we will respond to what Alfa Romeo clients want.”

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