Alfa Romeo itself denies that this is the case. But the 2.9-liter V6 was developed by a Ferrari man. And now it survives.
Alfa Romeo is now succumbing to pressure from customers. Not only will the combustion engine survive; the Ferrari-developed 2.9-liter V6 engine will remain in the model range.
Alfa Romeo itself would like to downplay the decision, which in a new interview is based on 'customer demand'.
But the reality is that Alfa Romeo probably has no choice. That's why the decision to build only electric cars was also dropped again. Read more about it here.
The 690T engine was developed by the same man who created the Ferrari F154 3.9-liter V8 engine, an engine that can be found in everything from the GTC4 Lusso to the California T.
The 'throttled' case that Alfa uses currently has 512 horsepower and 600 Nm. And that's something that customers should ask for.
Customers don't bother with electric cars – so now Alfa's Ferrari engine survives
Even though the model it is most famous for being in – namely the Giulia Quadrifoglio – is on its way to retirement.
In an interview with the media outlet Car, Cristiano Fiorio, Alfa Romeo's chief communications officer, believes that the V6 engine will survive.
– Personally, I don't see an electric Quadrifoglio. I see a Quadrifoglio that has the sound of a real combustion engine. As it is now.
"Maybe things will change in five years. But as it is now, Quadrifoglio for me – for us – should be something with a roaring sound," he says.
The fact that Alfa Romeo is not abandoning the combustion engine, now that its sister brand Dodge was in many ways forced to shelve the V8 engine, is due to the Italian brand's customers.
They – that is, the customers – simply don't want electric cars.
– Therefore, we have to continue to give customers what they want, says Cristiano Fiorio.
Fiorio remarkably didn't specifically say that the 2.9-liter V6 engine would continue in its current form, but he came close.
When asked what engine a Quadrifoglio should have, he replied: "If I answer, I'll tell you exactly what engine we'll get in the Giulia and Stelvio.
So I'll just say that the (engine, ed.) you're talking about is not far from what we ourselves are thinking of, he tells the media.
Alfa Romeo is far from the only one that has had to pull out of the race when it comes to electric cars. Its sister brand Maserati has also dropped out of building an electric car.
And even at Rimac, which is otherwise known for building electric cars, director Mate Rimac is convinced that his customers no longer prefer electric cars. Read more about it here .
