ALFA ROMEO

The brand's future electric models won't have a different design, says the brand's designer

The Alfis are in luck. The Italian brand's design manager confirmed to Top Gear's staff that the design of its electric models will not change radically from those of combustion, but will maintain this passionate aspect of the Alfa Romeo.

According to Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, it makes no sense to make a specific design for electric models. Furthermore, since all cars will be zero-emissions in the future, there will be no need for them to draw attention to their electric nature.

“Electrification changes the way the car moves, but the character, style and values ​​are maintained. An electrical aspect alone doesn't make sense from my point of view. We're not going to say, 'OK, it's an electric car, let's make it look different just because of that,'" said the designer.

From his point of view, this strategy made sense, for example, for BMW, since the German brand was the pioneer in the field of electric cars and making its i3 look very different from the rest of the line was even logical, but not when all cars are electric.

Of course, certain advantages of the electric car over the combustion model could result in design changes, such as a longer wheelbase, shorter overhangs and, of course, more interior space and a lower center of gravity.

These purely functional aspects will impact the proportions of the cars, but Alfa Romeo's head of design believes that future models will have to have a 'visceral look' that sums up a 'wow effect', like the combustion cars of the past. After all, any new model will have to look like an Alfa Romeo first, without giving the impression that it intends to advertise its electric nature to the four winds.

The Milan brand's first electric model will arrive in the year 2024, and it will likely be a subcompact crossover below the Tonale, which could also be offered with combustion engines.

A second electric vehicle will arrive in 2025, this one on a dedicated platform for this type of vehicle and, from 2027, Alfa Romeo will become a 100% electric brand in regions such as Europe, China and the United States. It has also been confirmed that the next generation of the Giulia will be exclusively electric.

Autonews