With stock of the updated Stelvio SUV finally on Australian shores, Alfa Romeo is gearing up for a strong finish to 2021 – but there’s a lot more to come from the Italian brand.
Launched in the middle of 2020 for Europe, the refreshed Stelvio is only now arriving in Australia on the back of COVID-19 and semiconductor-shortage-related delays.
Alfa Romeo says its dealers have the car in-stock, with no waiting lists or lengthy delays for the second half of 2021.
MORE: 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio price and specs
“We can confidently state that we expect more volume than half one [of 2021] on the back of having stock for Stelvio,” Andre Scott, head of product and marketing, told Australian media.
Alfa Romeo has sold 304 cars so far in 2021, up 6.3 per cent on the same point in 2020, on the back of a strong performance from the updated Giulia sedan.
It’s just 46 sales ahead of Genesis, and sits 399 sales behind Jaguar on the charts.
MORE: 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia price and specs
Even with the refreshed Stelvio on dealer forecourts, Alfa Romeo isn’t expecting to give BMW or Mercedes-Benz any sleepless nights with its volumes.
Mr Scott says the brand is targeting “the chosen few” with its marketing, people who value style and individuality – and don’t feel they can get it from a German crossover.
Alfa’s dealer network will stay small, with its current Melbourne, Sydney, Wollongong, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide, and Sunshine Coast showrooms to be joined by a dealer in Brisbane.
All of which begs the question; how small is too small to survive in Australia’s cutthroat new car market, and will Alfa Romeo go the way of Infiniti and Opel in Australia?
“We’ve needed to answer that question for our [dealer] network,” Mr Scott told media.
“When we went to our virtual dealer meeting back in April this year, we were able to give feedback with confidence to them that Alfa is here to remain in Australia.”
Globally, Mr Scott pointed to the fact Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Phillipe Imparato has “committed to the right-hand drive market”.
