It was about three years ago when Alfa Romeo announced plans to bring back the GTV as part of a promising 2018-2022 product roadmap. The fabled Italian brand even showed an early design sketch of the performance coupe, but less than two years later, the project was scrapped. Instead, the Tonale featured here is now the company’s top priority to bank on the success of compact crossovers.
According to Autocar, the GTV might still come back one day despite being put on the backburner. A new report published by the British magazine claims the revival of this moniker won’t be for a two-door coupe version of the Giulia sedan as originally intended. Instead, the car could be a direct competitor for the BMW i4 by adopting an electric four-door coupe format, although hybrid powertrains have not been ruled out.
The GTV and Tonale would only be the tip of the iceberg in terms of product offensive as Alfa Romeo is planning to overhaul its lineup, which is currently limited to the Giulia and Stelvio. A smaller Brennero crossover is earmarked for a 2023 launch, potentially as the company’s very first purely electric vehicle. The next-gen Giulia and Stelvio could share the new STLA Large platform with the GTV, unlocking the possibility of using mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
The report goes on to say the Spider and Mito could also return one day, and logic tells us these would be heavily electrified as well to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations. A new Mito supermini is important since it would serve as the entry-level Alfa Romeo, possibly twinned with the next-generation Lancia Ypsilon.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about which direction the troubled Italian marque will take in the near future, but parent company Stellantis has vowed to invest in all brands in the next 10 years. In the early 2030s, it will decide which companies will stay and which will be axed, and we’re hoping both Alfa Romeo and Lancia will stick around.
Source: Autocar
