V6 hybrid tops Alfa Romeo’s Cuorerosso plans

Alfa Romeo has revealed the Cuorerosso, a 2+2 coupe concept it says sets the direction for its future models. The car was shown at Stellantis’ preview event on the eve of the Paris Motor Show.

Alfa says the Cuorerosso does not preview a specific production model. The name, which the brand confirmed late last month, combines the Italian words for heart and red.

Future models will use flexible multi-energy architectures covering full-electric, plug-in hybrid, mild hybrid and full hybrid powertrains. Alfa says they will be up to 4.7 m long, with room for Quadrifoglio versions. No production timing has been given.

The concept is 4700 mm long, 1980 mm wide and 1331 mm high, on a 2930 mm wheelbase. It weighs 1750 kg and has a drag coefficient of 0.28, helped by a Coda Tronca truncated tail and a low integrated diffuser.

For the top performance version, Alfa suggests a 2.9-litre V6 full hybrid with Q4 all-wheel drive, a torque converter automatic and a carbon-fibre driveshaft. The concept also has air suspension and Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes. No outputs have been released.

Alfa calls its design approach Bellezza Necessaria, or necessary beauty. The Centro Stile team started with a solid clay block, with no wheels, glass or detail, and removed material to reach the final form.

A wedge line runs from nose to tail. The front has the Scudetto between the headlights and a backlit triangular grille, while the rear window is shaped like the Scudetto and two round lights sit in the Coda Tronca. The glass is flush, the logos are integrated, and there are no door handles. The doors open from a touch control on the roof, and the rear doors are rear-hinged. The mirrors carry Italian flag inlays, and the forged wheels use three spokes with six circular elements. The Liquid Ink Red paint sits over an aluminium base and changes colour with the light.

Inside are four individual seats and a long centre console. The thin horizontal dashboard takes its cue from the 1967 33 Stradale and its modern counterpart, and is covered in a monofilament fabric developed with Luna Rossa.

The instrument display has two settings. Immersivo uses two elements, while Concentrato merges them into one and shows less information. The three-spoke steering wheel is steer-by-wire, with haptic and acoustic feedback. A control panel on the centre tunnel, called the Magma Display, combines a touch surface, rotary dial, drive mode selector and toggle switches.

There are three drive modes, Cruise, Sport and Quadrifoglio, and the cabin lighting dims in Quadrifoglio mode. Trim includes Poltrona Frau nubuck, recycled leather and recycled carbon fibre with red resin. A removable bag is built into the passenger side of the dashboard, with straps that double as its handle.

“With Cuorerosso, we bring this identity into the future, one open to different energy solutions, in which technology, function and quality are always at the service of emotions and driving pleasure,” says Santo Ficili, CEO of Alfa Romeo and Maserati.