It still isn’t entirely clear what sort of powertrain will power the next-generation M3 but it’s assumed that it will be purely electric. After BMW teased an i4 quad-motor prototype, it’s starting to look like the current G80 M3 will be the last generation of M3 with an internal combustion engine. Which seems like the right thing for BMW, considering the toughest competitor the M3 has ever faced is doing the same thing. According to Australia’s Car Expert, the next-generation Alfa Romeo Giulia will be entirely electric.

Car Expert spoke with Alfa Romeo’s head of product, Daniel Guzzafame, who said that the next-generation Giulia will “most probably” be fully electric. He spoke about Alfa’s need for a performance vehicle that complies with the strict emissions regulations in many European cities and Alfa won’t be able to do that with a gas engine. And since a hybrid would only be a half-measure and Alfa would have to change to an electric version at some point anyway, why not just go straight to the EV.

If Alfa makes an electric Giulia, that means an electric Giulia Quadrifoglio is coming too. Which gives the BMW M3 a definitive competitor for its upcoming electric M3. And at the moment, those are the only two brands that have semi-public plans for electric performance cars. Audi hasn’t quite revealed what its next RS4 will be and who knows how long Mercedes’ new hybrid C63 AMG will last. So, at the moment, it’s only BMW and Alfa.

Along with the Giulia, Alfa will also release a fully electric Stelvio SUV, which will take on the next-generation of BMW iX3. Along with the electric Stelvio will also be a Quadrifoglio model, which will take on the rumored electric BMW X3 M.

When it comes to driver’s sport sedans, the BMW M3 and Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio are above and beyond the rest of the segment, by quite a bit margin. The Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is really good too but its engine is a bit of a letdown. And now it seems that BMW and Alfa will continue to be the leaders of the segment, by making electric performance sedans before everyone else. While the Alfa stands to lose out on switching to electrification more than BMW—its engine is far more emotional and charismatic than BMW’s and BMW has far more experience with EV powertrains—both should be very exciting cars.

[Source: Car Expert]