Interview Jean Philippe Imparato, Directeur d’Alfa Romeo

Good evening. It's been four years since I left Peugeot. At that time, they said I was wearing a Peugeot cap, absolutely. Now, it's both literally and figuratively. 18 months of intense work. Absolutely, it's been 18 months. I've had the chance to have a career that I've enjoyed since I was young, for about 30 years. I've done many interesting things, with a high point being five years leading the Peugeot brand. But I wondered what happens after such jobs. After Peugeot, how do you renew yourself? With Alfa Romeo, I opened a completely different chapter. I went from a big machine to a startup, as Alfa Romeo compared to Peugeot is 60,000 cars versus 1.5 to 2 million. With extraordinary histories of 100 and 112 years, France on one side, Italy on the other. I completely renewed myself by crossing the Alps, partly because I found a country that is somewhat mine, as my name has an Italian connotation. So, a link formed between France and Italy. This mutation happened a few years ago, and literally, I left three days after being appointed. My wife followed immediately, and my son moved his university studies from Paris to Bocconi in Milan. Only my daughter in medicine remains in Paris. The whole family moved because managing things is different in Italy. Alfa Romeo is designed, lived, and manufactured in Italy, for Cassino and Pomigliano. So, that's what I experienced. Doing this is intense; it's happiness. Intense because from the start, we said we would write a 10-year product plan with the teams. From the beginning, we finished the Tonale and launched it on time. And from the start, we said we wouldn't compromise between volume and quality. So, that's clear, and it was the start of a great adventure, with the Tonale launch as the starting point, and today it's exciting. For three months, it's simple: we did two things. First, we drove the convergence of style and technical aspects, and we matured the front end, especially the headlights and all details that make this car recognized as premium in its segment, and it seems to win some comparatives, which is interesting given high-level competition. Second, we used those twelve weeks to prioritize the launch of hybrid versions, eliminate any reference to manual gearboxes, and give the car exceptional software content. No one expected that; people thought we'd come with a pretty car, but with a hybrid, that's normal. We surprised them by arriving with software first. In fact, I opened the car presentation not with hybrid or electric, but with software—we're not behind but ahead, and that shook things up a bit. We used this delay to work on these issues.

We wanted to respect the initial intention of the showcase presented in Geneva some time ago and make a leap into the future. We hope the product now on stage has done the work; the future will tell us. The first step, right after, we will propose something for 2023, and then for 2024. I hope you'll see a progressive demonstration of an Alfa Romeo that stabilizes, strengthens, progresses, develops, and gives you more technology and modernity without forgetting its roots.

So, the design must always remind you of our style codes and DNA. That's the first subject. Second, I'm not a fan of excessive screens. Modernity isn't about that. I will use data and artificial intelligence to further consolidate my orientation as a driver. How will AI help? Very simply, it will provide the driver with all useful and strictly useful information for improving his efficiency and driving effectiveness. I won't choose data that only interests comfort; that's not the subject. I'll focus on helping the driver on mountain roads in winter at night to improve driving efficiency. After that, everyone tells me about large screens in cars. I'm not sure it will last because cars will become inaccessible to the average person with electrification, autonomy, new electric platforms, software, and regulations. We need to return to purity, frugality, and simplicity in design, or vehicles will only be accessible to 10% of the population.

Premium is prescribed, of course, but I want my exit to be upward while being conscious of our choices. We've fixed a simple thing: in investment choices, it's design first, electrification at the highest performance level—autonomy, charging time, road handling—and using artificial intelligence and screens to increase driving efficiency. That's it; no need to add more because we might get lost and create monsters. One word summarizes Alfa Romeo: sportiness. Among the group's 14 brands, DS is on one side with luxury, freedom on the other, and my side is sportiness. We'll stay there, but I know I must be with the times, even ahead, but not at the expense of our structural choices. The new Lancia is in the sporty hall, red Italian sportiness. We work together with DS, sharing premium technology in harmony. No one confuses us today; no one would confuse a DS7 with a Stelvio. When the new Lancia arrives in 2024, you won't confuse it with anything else.

China and the US talk to each other in terms of markets and segments. US segments are found in China, and I want to stay in the US because I have an extraordinary advantage: having two feet, one in Europe and one in the US, and I need a third in China and Japan where I have many fans. So, I'll make a step in the product plan to offer exactly what American and Asian, including Chinese, expectations are. The product plan has a global model with characteristics meeting US and NAFTA demands, and China. Alfa Romeo wants to be the group's global premium brand, so my product plan must integrate this. Alfa Romeo will converge on group platforms from 2024 and be fully architectured around them from 2025, allowing cost savings. Alfa Romeo will be the first brand to benefit from a completely new electronic architecture in 2025, equipping an iconic model, so we'll be ahead. I'll have access to the lowest electronic architecture, high-level powertrains, and the best battery packs from the group. The platforms offer impressive handling, with a flat floor and ground stability. I want to bring Alfa Romeo's touch: not just 0-100 in under 3 seconds, but also handling the first corner. The compromise between performance and agility in dynamics is fundamental.

The client synthesis at Alfa Romeo consists of people born in Balocco. The one specifying the performance of the new Stelvio and Giulia is Fabio Migliavacca, who worked on the GTA with Domenico Bagnasco. We're bringing past assets to the future. Fabio is a driver with ten years of track experience, so he knows how to drive. These people specify future cars. We renewed the partnership with Sauber because it's going well. We trust Frédéric Vasseur and his teams, Valtteri Bottas, and Zhou Guanyu. The return on investment is extraordinary; it's a global discipline consistent with Alfa Romeo's image. We have a multi-year contract with annual evaluation. I'll tell you soon if I'm going in 2023. Second, Alfa Romeo in F1 won't be with anything but a Ferrari engine. Seeing it with a Mercedes engine doesn't make sense. Ferrari is natural in Italy; I am Italy, but they are nature. Remember, in 1924, Enzo Ferrari was hired at Alfa Romeo, recommended by someone who made a career after. What would I do with a non-Ferrari engine? If I don't have a Ferrari engine, I'm out.