For the past 25 years, the relaunch of Alfa Romeo has been a staple auto news story. But, finally, it looks as if the brand has gained traction.

It’s thought that Alfa sold around 170,000 cars in 2017 – the majority of them the more upmarket and expensive Alfa Romeo Giulia and Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV – a jump of about 60% on 2016.

Alfa Romeo Giulia coupe to pack 641bhp with F1 hybrid tech

Unsurprisingly, it’s the Stelvio that is making the most headway. According to JATO Dynamics, in February this year, the SUV outsold the Porsche Macan across the 28 EU markets. The Stelvio was also well ahead of the Jaguar F-Pace.

No surprise, then, that Alfa will be rolling out an even bigger luxury SUV after the Stelvio has been so well-accepted by the European market. The profit margins for luxury SUVs are especially handsome.

Conventional wisdom said the market for luxury coupés was in irreversible decline, but Alfa’s product planners have probably been keenly eyeing Audi’s success with its A5 coupé and A5 Sportback models and BMW’s strong-selling 4 Series range.

It’s also possible to imagine a five-door Giulia coupé, especially as sales of the Audi A5 Sportback were a stunning 67,700 in 2017. 

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Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio review

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio review

Alfa Romeo Giulia review