Alfa Romeo has a new Head of Design, who will take them into an electric future.
Alfa Romeo is in a bit of a lull at the moment. They started their rebranding journey quite strong with the Giulia and Stelvio, but just haven’t held up the momentum since then. Now, things might be about to change. The brand now benefits from being part of a larger automotive group with higher purchasing power and more capital.
It’s ready to take its next step into fully electric vehicles and will need some new design direction from an experienced industry veteran. That’s what we’re talking about today – their new head of Alfa Romeo design, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos.
Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos has been in the automotive industry since the mid 1990s. He joined SEAT in 1995 and spent many years working on designs for the Volkswagen Group. He had a brief stint at Renault in the early 2000s, where he work on such vehicles as the Laguna Coupé. However, he found himself back at the VW Group again to head SEAT in 2011. Before long, he became the head of Advanced Design for the entire VW Group. And then moved back to Renault to head Dacia’s design team. His stint at Dacia only lasted half a year, but he produced the Bigster concept while there.
After moving back and forth between the Alliance and VW Group, Alejandro has finally settled into a different conglomerate, Stellantis. Here he will have the task of heading Alfa Romeo’s design team, setting the company’s EV direction.
Here’s the press release with more.
PRESS RELEASE
Having learned his craft in Spain, South Korea and France, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos will be placing his international experience at the service of the Stellantis Group as of 1 July, 2021, as head of Alfa Romeo design. He will report to Jean-Pierre Ploué, chief design officer at Stellantis.
He will now focus on a refresh at Alfa Romeo, by leading the electrification and modernisation process at an iconic brand that has reaped legendary victories over its 110-year history.
Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos and his bold style brought about the renaissance of Seat/Cupra. His work on the Cupra Tavascan and Formentor models, the fourth-generation Seat Leon, fifth-generation Ibiza and Arona demonstrates how his forward-thinking design can provide stimulus to and increase a brand’s appeal.
Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos is an alumnus of the Royal College of Art, London.
