What's Going On With Alfa Romeo? Resto-Mods, Supercars, And Hybrids On The Way

Motor Trend

a day ago

Alfa Romeo reentered the U.S. market a decade ago with a splash, even landing a MotorTrend Car of the Year award for the then-new Giulia sedan. The Stelvio midsize SUV followed soon after—and then the brand went kind of quiet until at long last, the Tonale compact SUV finally joined the family. Then…quiet again. You'd be forgiven for forgetting Alfa even sells cars here still. But the 115-year-old company isn't done in America yet.
Rather than taking its lumps and quietly slinking back across the Atlantic, Alfa is making plans and doing things, even if it isn't making the news. A refreshed Tonale is on the way later this year, and replacements for the Giulia and Stelvio are still on the way, only delayed. In the meantime, the company will expand its Bottega program with another limited-edition supercar follow up to the 33 Stradale and launch a new resto-mod program to compliment its factory restoration program. First Up: Refreshed Tonale
America loves SUVs, so it's no surprise the Tonale and Stelvio are tied for the sales lead at Alfa halfway through 2025. The Stelvio is long in the tooth and waiting on a replacement (more below), but the more affordable Tonale is only three years old and Alfa wants to keep momentum going.
Alfa's U.S. boss, Chris Feuell, confirmed to MotorTrend a refreshed Tonale will go into production in November. An official reveal is coming in the next few months, when more details will be announced. Feuell did tell us the new 2026 Tonale will launch with an optional special edition trim level called Sports Speciale. Similar in concept to the Intensa trim level currently offered, it will build off the Veloce trim and package more features with special paint and trim. If it proves as popular as Intensa, it'll be offered on the Stelvio and Giulia as well. Then, A Factory Resto-Mod Business
Alfa opened a factory restoration business for its classics back in 2022. Now, it's building on that idea with a resto-mod business not just returning old cars to their former glory, but installing modern upgrades as well.
The plan, according to global head of marketing and special projects, Cristiano Fiorio, is to focus on mass-produced models. The company isn't looking to modify rare and exotic vehicles from its history, but hop-ups for widely produced sedans, coupes, and convertibles are on the table.
Feuell tells us the resto-mod business will also include a parts business modeled after Mopar Direct Connection, which sells both factory replacement parts, factory performance parts, and officially licensed aftermarket performance parts. Another Halo Car Is Coming, But It Won't Be A Manual
The super exclusive, super expensive 33 Stradale super car launched Bottega Alfa Romeo and it's been such a success a follow-up is almost done despite only three of the 33 total copies having been delivered. Fiorio says the next car is "eight-tenths done' and will be shown to prospective customers later this year before being revealed to the public in 2026.
Fiorio says any project from Bottega must be a tribute to a historical Alfa Romeo model, just as the 33 Stradale pays homage to the model from the late 1960s. It must also be reimagined for the future, not a slavish copy. Reports indicate it will be another joint project with Maserati (the 33 Stradale is based on the MC20) and could be based on the GranTurismo.
The next project won't have a manual transmission, though. Media and enthusiasts seized on a recent interview with Alfa's global CEO, Santo Ficili, in which he left the door open to a manual transmission in the future. While Fiorio didn't shut the door on ever doing a manual again, the next car won't have one.
Manual transmissions, being so rare these days, require a ton of research and development money, Fiorio said. With limited-edition cars, that cost can't be amortized with high sales volume but instead could only be spread across a handful of cars. As such, Fiorio says he would have to raise the price of the car by 20 to 50 percent just to cover the cost of developing and certifying a new transmission. The 33 Stradale might be a $2.3 million car, but that doesn't mean its buyers want to pay a million more for the next one.
Still, never say never. Fiorio says it could still happen with a future Bottega project, maybe even an even more exclusive, expensive one-off.
The Stelvio and Giulia are, to put it gently, long in the tooth. They've been around nine and 10 years, respectively, with the mildest of refreshes along the way. Alfa is fully aware they're old and struggling to stay competitive, and new models of each are on the way. Thing is, they're running late.
Alfa had originally planned to show the new Stelvio this year and put it on sale early next year, according to reports. The Giulia was expected to follow shortly after. Both were originally intended to go full-electric, but EV demand in Europe and the U.S. hasn't grown as fast as Alfa was anticipating. As a result, the company has delayed the launch, according to Filici, in order to develop gas, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid powertrains for both cars. Once those are ready, the entire model lineup will be revealed. A Reuters report suggests it could be as late as the fall of 2026.
In the meantime, the current Stelvio and Giulia will soldier on with only single-year special editions to keep them fresh. The Intensa trim level offered on 2025 models will be replaced by another grouping of certain features with special paint and trim colors for the 2026 model year, which will be announced in November.