Alfa Romeo bringing back 8C as hybrid supercar
Alfa Romeo will nix its 4C sports car and bring back the 8C name on a 700-horsepower mid-engined electric-hybrid supercar before 2022, the brand announced during a press conference June 1 outlining FCA’s five-year product plan.
The carbon-fibre chassis car’s rear wheels will be driven by a twin-turbo V6 while the front axle will be electrically powered, explained Alfa chief Timothy Kuniskis, which should give it enough oomph to take on rivals like the Audi R8 and McLaren 570S.
The company will also revive the GTV nameplate, sticking it on a two-door Giulia-based sports car meant to challenge the BMW 4 Series. That car will boast a “perfect 50-50 weight distribution” and a top-line Quadrofoglio trim with 600 hp.
Making sure the company ’s wallet stays fat enough to afford to build these outrageous machines will be two new SUVs, one larger and one smaller than its current Stelvio offering.
All three SUVs will be available with plug-in hybrid drivetrains, and the entire Alfa Romeo line will be electrified in some way or another by 2022.
Alfa Romeo sister brand Maserati had news to reveal at the FCA conference too, in the form of a new flagship model, the all-electric Alfieri, which will apparently boast a top speed of 300 kilometres per hour and nail the zero-to-100 km/h sprint in less than two seconds.
The car will come available in both coupe and cabriolet variants, and the all-electric model will show up with hybrid or plug-in hybrid trim options, too. The automaker plans to launch it under a Maserati Blue sub-brand meant to challenge Tesla.
Hybridization will spread to the rest of the Maserati line before too long, too, and FCA even suggested level three autonomous capabilities could show up in the Quattroporte and Levante by 2022 or earlier.
A mid-size SUV will join the Maserati line in the next five years, said Kuniskis — also the head of Maserati — and perhaps most excitingly, all the future drivetrains underpinning these Maseratis, including the hybrids and full-electrics, will be supplied by Ferrari.