Alfa Romeo Brings Back 520 hp Giulia Quadrifoglio, Starting at €105,000
Stellantis restores the non-hybrid 520 hp V6 Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio, priced from €105,000 until 2027, maintaining the DGT C label.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Alfa Romeo resurrects the 520 hp non-hybrid V6 at €105,000
Stellantis has confirmed the return of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio to European configurators, antiestéticaturing the same 2.9-liter V6 biturbo engine producing 520 hp and 600 Nm, which was discontinued the previous spring. Without hybridization or micro-hybridization, these models carry the DGT C label. The brand announced this at the Brussels Motor Show, with deliveries starting in March and guaranteed until 2027. The engine, derived from Ferrari's F154 with two cylinders removed, remains unchanged: it is identical to the one we already knew. The starting price in Spain is around €105,000, including VAT.
What it means for Stellantis to return to pure V6
This move is seen as a strategic correction. Santo Ficili, CEO of Alfa Romeo, justified it in January: the brand envisioned an exclusively electric future to comply with Brussels' regulations, but Europe has softened its stance on the gasoline sales ban beyond 2035, returning margin to PHEVs. With Jean-Philippe Imparato leading Stellantis in Europe, the path changed: "I want internal combustion engines," he stated. Hence, the 130 hp 1.5 BlueHDi diesel remains available until 2030 in the Peugeot 308, and the HEMI V8 has returned to production since August for RAM pickup trucks, some Jeeps, and Dodge models.
Some argue this is more of a statement of intent than a sales plan. The €120,000 sports sedan is not a volume product; its real function is as a showcase: brand image, exclusivity, and a short run that will likely sell out quickly. Some believe it will appreciate immediately, as the previous model did, rising from €80,000 to over €100,000.
The problem with selling a V6 in emissions-focused Europe
The other side of the coin is the group's emissions quota. Each unit of this V6 must be offset by electric vehicles that Stellantis does not place easily, so the manufacturer has incentives to keep the car expensive and scarce. This is not a market bet: it is an image exercise with accounting costs.
The pessimistic scenario starts from another basis. The middle class that could aspire to a powerful thermal engine is impoverished and accustomed to low-consumption three-cylinder engines, with maintenance that is not always cheap. Those spending €120,000 on a sedan look first to Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, or Porsche. And the Chinese luxury buyer, who previously absorbed these European excesses, no longer wants them: they find own-brand sedans with magnetic suspension and finishes at half the price.
The engine as a collector's item
The Giulia Quadrifoglio is rear-wheel drive; the Stelvio is all-wheel drive. Both share a limited-slip differential, active aerodynamics, and carbon fiber in the transmission, hood, spoiler, side skirts, and front lip. Aluminum in the V6. The entire range is DGT C label, without any electrification of any kind.
Among enthusiasts, the idea circulates that this car will remain as the swan song of the combustion engine, the highest achievement for a gasoline sedan. Others recall that the engine never completely disappeared: orders were simply no longer accepted, and what has arrived is an update from 510 to 520 hp. The paradox is that a car with a Porsche price is sold as the last representative of a species that Europe legislated out of the catalog.
How long will it take Brussels to change its criteria again?
Stellantis has confirmed the return of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio to European configurators, antiestéticaturing the same 2.9-liter V6 biturbo engine producing 520 hp and 600 Nm, which was discontinued the previous spring. Without hybridization or micro-hybridization, these models carry the DGT C label. The brand announced this at the Brussels Motor Show, with deliveries starting in March and guaranteed until 2027. The engine, derived from Ferrari's F154 with two cylinders removed, remains unchanged: it is identical to the one we already knew. The starting price in Spain is around €105,000, including VAT.
What it means for Stellantis to return to pure V6
This move is seen as a strategic correction. Santo Ficili, CEO of Alfa Romeo, justified it in January: the brand envisioned an exclusively electric future to comply with Brussels' regulations, but Europe has softened its stance on the gasoline sales ban beyond 2035, returning margin to PHEVs. With Jean-Philippe Imparato leading Stellantis in Europe, the path changed: "I want internal combustion engines," he stated. Hence, the 130 hp 1.5 BlueHDi diesel remains available until 2030 in the Peugeot 308, and the HEMI V8 has returned to production since August for RAM pickup trucks, some Jeeps, and Dodge models.
Some argue this is more of a statement of intent than a sales plan. The €120,000 sports sedan is not a volume product; its real function is as a showcase: brand image, exclusivity, and a short run that will likely sell out quickly. Some believe it will appreciate immediately, as the previous model did, rising from €80,000 to over €100,000.
The problem with selling a V6 in emissions-focused Europe
The other side of the coin is the group's emissions quota. Each unit of this V6 must be offset by electric vehicles that Stellantis does not place easily, so the manufacturer has incentives to keep the car expensive and scarce. This is not a market bet: it is an image exercise with accounting costs.
The pessimistic scenario starts from another basis. The middle class that could aspire to a powerful thermal engine is impoverished and accustomed to low-consumption three-cylinder engines, with maintenance that is not always cheap. Those spending €120,000 on a sedan look first to Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, or Porsche. And the Chinese luxury buyer, who previously absorbed these European excesses, no longer wants them: they find own-brand sedans with magnetic suspension and finishes at half the price.
The engine as a collector's item
The Giulia Quadrifoglio is rear-wheel drive; the Stelvio is all-wheel drive. Both share a limited-slip differential, active aerodynamics, and carbon fiber in the transmission, hood, spoiler, side skirts, and front lip. Aluminum in the V6. The entire range is DGT C label, without any electrification of any kind.
Among enthusiasts, the idea circulates that this car will remain as the swan song of the combustion engine, the highest achievement for a gasoline sedan. Others recall that the engine never completely disappeared: orders were simply no longer accepted, and what has arrived is an update from 510 to 520 hp. The paradox is that a car with a Porsche price is sold as the last representative of a species that Europe legislated out of the catalog.
How long will it take Brussels to change its criteria again?
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (109 replies).
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