Alfa Romeo ditching long-standing iconic tradition with the new Giulia coupe

The next-gen Giulia coupe from Alfa Romeo is having a bit of a facelift as it enters its new era.

The brand’s distinctive offset license plates are out due to pedestrian safety regulations.

Meanwhile, a new blocked version of the iconic scudetto grille is in for future models of the Giulia and Stelvio, covered with logo-inspired 3D graphics – similar to the recently unveiled Tonale.

Alfa Romeo design boss, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, has talked excitedly about the new Giulia launch, stating that it will be ‘super-cool’.

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Additionally, upcoming Alfa Romeo EVs, including the next Giulia and Stelvio, will adopt a blocked version of the iconic scudetto grille with 3D graphics,

“We cannot put the number plate on the side anymore because of the homologation regulations for pedestrian safety,” Mesonero-Romanos explained.

“This will allow us to have symmetry anyway, so I am happy – I’m one of the guys who likes the plate in the middle.”

First appearing on the 1955 Giulietta Spider, the off-center plates were introduced by the Italian brand to avoid interrupting the lines of their iconic grille.

Mainstream models from the 1970s-late 1990s, saw centrally-mounted license plates being used because their grilles were narrower, allowing for bulkier bumpers.

The trend cycled back in 1997 on the 156 sedan.

And it’s remained consistent since then until the recent unveiling of the EV version of the Junior subcompact SUV earlier this year.

Originally named the Milano SUV, it’s the first electric car for Alfa Romeo.

Mesonero-Romanos spoke about the importance of the design flair to Autocar.

“Some die-hard Alfisti, who think an Alfa Romeo isn’t an Alfa Romeo unless it has the number plate on the side won’t be happy, but there are plenty of beautiful Alfa Romeos in history which have the number plate in the middle: I own an Alfetta and a 1968 Giulia which have a central plate and look beautiful,” he said.

What the switch has allowed for is a ‘fresh interpretation’ of the iconic scudetto grille for the next iteration of the Giulia, Stelvio, and subsequent models.

“Putting the logo in a big size shows we are proud of it, and it’s a modern interpretation graphically, it’s pretty strong to have it in a big size,” he said.

And it’s about function as well as form.

“With Alfa function and design always go together – the next generation of cars will have a closed logo because they will be electric cars, and we cannot have the function of the Scudetto as it was when it was conceived.”

The new Stelvio will debut in 2025, followed by the Giulia sedan in 2026, per Alfa Romeo announcements.

With fully electric powertrains, both will ride on the same STLA Large platform.

Mesonero-Romanos teased further on the next-gen Giulia: “It’s what people would expect from a Giulia in terms of sportiness, with a super-cool coupe – and I won’t reveal anything else for now.”

Watch this space.

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