Alfa Romeo Is Struggling in The US, But Thriving in Europe

When Stellantis published U.S. sales results for its Alfa Romeo brand for the first half of the year, the numbers didn’t look good. Through June, the Italian marque was down 34 percent, with all three models posting double-digit declines: Giulia (-32 percent), Stelvio (-40 percent), and Tonale (-28 percent). Combined, the three models generated only 3,164 sales.

But there’s a silver lining for the fabled Italian brand: it’s actually doing great in Europe so far in 2025. Sales figures published today by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association show Alfa is significantly up. In the first six months of the year, Alfa Romeo surged by 33.3 percent in Europe, delivering 33,116 cars. ACEA reports sales for the 27 EU countries, the United Kingdom, and EFTA members (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland).

That’s roughly 10 times more than in the U.S. What gives? I’m trying to wrap my head around the major discrepancy between the two regions, and there’s really one main explanation: Alfa Romeo doesn’t sell the Junior in the U.S., a smaller, cheaper alternative to the Tonale. Sure, market conditions vary, but the subcompact crossover is likely doing most of the heavy lifting in Europe.

We’re long past the stage of criticizing Alfa Romeo for “selling out” by offering three SUVs, with a larger one on the way. The reality in 2025 is that carmakers stand a better chance of surviving if they build what people want: SUVs. Had Alfa stuck with the MiTo and Giulietta alongside the Giulia, without launching the Stelvio and its smaller cousins, who knows if we’d even be talking about the brand today.

Generally speaking, SUVs haven’t killed cars, but having models like the Junior in the lineup certainly helps. This is especially true for Stellantis, which achieves economies of scale by building the Junior on the same platform as the Peugeot 2008, Opel Mokka, Jeep Avenger, and Fiat 600. These high-volume vehicles are the kind that convince the bean counters to greenlight halo projects, such as the 33 Stradale. That said, even the supercar borrows heavily from an existing model, the Maserati MC20.

Next-generation Alfa Romeo Stelvio

Photo by: Alfa Romeo

Even with this sales boost in Europe, Alfa Romeo still trails far behind the German luxury giants and their fully fleshed-out lineups. Its 33,116 units in the January-June period are a drop in the bucket compared to BMW’s 406,126 (+1.9 percent), Mercedes’ 335,418 (+0.3 percent), and Audi’s 328,761 (-4.7 percent). Even Lexus is ahead, having climbed 11.4 percent to 40,396 cars.

Still, Alfa’s rebound is a healthy sign, and it’s in a better position than Maserati. Whether the shelved 8C and GTV revivals will return one day is unclear, but Alfa’s marketing boss Cristiano Fiorio says that “we can dream” about fun cars if the SUVs continue to gain traction.

In the meantime, the Giulia is expected to remain Alfa’s only traditional car. Even so, it’s due for a transformation by eschewing the conventional sedan shape. The second-generation modern Giulia, arriving next year, is reportedly morphing into a five-door liftback with slightly raised suspension. It won’t be a full-blown SUV since that’s the Stelvio’s job, but possibly something more along the lines of the Peugeot 408, Citroën C5 X, or DS 8.

Whatever the case, we’re genuinely optimistic about Alfa Romeo’s future.