TERMOLI: Alfa Romeo will build two powerful new engines at its plant in Termoli, Italy, the company confirmed.
Forming a key part of the brand’s rebirth as a top-shelf prestige marque, the new engines will feature in a number of Alfa Romeo models due before 2020.
The Termoli plant currently builds engines and transmissions for various models in the Fiat family, and the carmaker plans to invest €500 million (AU$700m) into expanding capacity to accommodate 200,000 engines annually.
Little else has been revealed about the new powertrains, although industry paper Automotive News reports that supplier sources have confirmed key details.
The high-output 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine is expected to debut in the new midsized ‘Giulia’ sedan that will be unveiled in June ahead of an early 2016 launch.
The larger six-cylinder unit is reported to be a version of the 3.0 litre engine that Ferrari builds for Maserati’s Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans.
It is unclear which model will feature the larger engine, although we could see it appear in a flagship or performance-focused version of the Giulia.
Beyond the Giulia, Alfa has also confirmed that it will launch eight new models by 2018, including another sedan and two new SUV ranges.
This forms part of a plan to boost Alfa’s global annual sales to 400,000 units – up from 74,000 in 2014. Some 150,000 of those projected sales are expected to come from the US.
The availability of new SUV models will undoubtedly also boost sales in Australia, where the brand’s 2498 sales for 2014 marked only a modest improvement over its 2373 sales in 2013.
