Brand’s electrification is well under way, with five new EVs due by 2027, and designers are working on a halo sports car to follow
JONATHAN BRYCE
NEWS GOT A STORY? Email our news editor felix.page@haymarket.com
Alfa Romeo is firming up plans for a new electric roadster as part of a wide-ranging electrification strategy to expand and revamp its line-up.
Following the launch of the 33 Stradale supercar, which offers Alfa’s first-ever electric powertrain, the Italian firm will introduce a compact electric SUV in 2024, then electric replacements for the Giulia saloon and Stelvio SUV, and lastly a larger saloon and SUV, aimed at the Chinese and American markets.
Even so, Alfa’s performance heritage remains central to its positioning, bosses have said, and long-mooted plans for an electric Spider are taking shape. Future rivals would include the next Alpine A110, next Porsche Boxster and reborn Lotus Elise.
Speaking to Autocar at the launch of the limited-edition 33 Stradale, Alfa product boss Daniel Guzzafame gave vital clues to the new roadster, suggesting that it could inherit the Spider name because of the strength of its heritage and association with the Alfa brand.
“There are some items from Alfa Romeo that we don’t kill: one is the Spider, the other is a love of cars,” he said. “We do want to continue them, because that’s the brand. And that’s in our ideas, so let’s see if we can make that a plan.”
The new Spider is likely to be badged the 4E as a nod to its electric powertrain and to strengthen its billing as a replacement for the 4C, which was built from 2013 to 2019.
However, this has yet to be confirmed, as a model’s name is typically decided “very late” in the development process to ensure that it doesn’t leak, according to Guzzafame.
Asked about the viability of such a car, he said: “Alfa Romeo is Spider, and when you think about Spider, you think about Alfa Romeo. At the moment, we’re stable enough and we do have the right basis. The main point is to make sure that when we do it, we are credible, are sustainable and don’t just throw something on the market for the sake of it.”
As for a possible arrival date, he said that once Alfa has five cars in its line-up, the Spider will be “within reach”, meaning it won’t arrive until after 2027.
Autocar understands that the 4E will feature design cues that draw heavily on those of the 33 Stradale, namely in its new-style shield grille, elliptical bonnet and light signature and bluff ‘coda tronca’ rear end.
The 33 Stradale was designed in such a way
