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Alfa Romeo is at a crossroads with the famous Italian carmaker’s upcoming mid-size SUV critical to its on-going viability.
Currently owned and managed by giant auto conglomerate Stellantis, Alfa’s global year-on-year sales dropped 21 per cent for the first half of 2026, with Australian registrations down 51 per cent (to just 139 units) on a less than stellar 2025 H1 result.
Arresting that downward slide is addressed in the group-wide Stellantis Fastlane 2030 initiative, which positions Alfa Romeo as a ‘regional brand’ focused primarily on Europe with two significant new models coming down the product pipeline - a C-segment (medium) SUV to replace the current Tonale and a new ‘Bottega Fuoriserie’ project, likely a compact hatch to compete with the BMW 1 Series and Mercedes-Benz A-Class.
The Alfa Romeo Bottega Fuoriserie is a bespoke, limited-production division created in partnership with Maserati to “revive classic Italian coachbuilding.”
Speaking at the National Automotive Industry Roundtable organised by the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), Stellantis Chief Operating Officer of Enlarged Europe Emanuele Cappellano has shown a teaser image of the new Alfa C-SUV showing a rear design detail.
Cappellano confirmed the C-SUV is based on the group’s STLA Medium platform, will feature “multi-energy powertrains and will be introduced to compete in the heart of the market”.
He added the new model has been designed at the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo in Turin, is set to be built at the Melfi plant in southern Italy and is scheduled to be officially unveiled in the fourth quarter of 2027.
The new car is part of the Stellantis strategy for Enlarged Europe, the company targeting 15 per cent revenue growth and expanded portfolio coverage with a “C-segment offensive" underpinned by widescale use of the STLA One platform.
There are 14 core brands under the Stellantis umbrella - Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram and Vauxhall.
The company has said Fastlane 2030 is aimed at sharpening management practices, investing in global platforms, powertrains and tech as well as optimising the company’s manufacturing footprint while raising product quality.
Designed to focus on core strengths it positions Jeep, Ram, Peugeot and Fiat as global brands with Chrysler, Dodge, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, DS Automobiles, Opel and Vauxhall defined as regional brands.
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