Paris Motor Show 2026
First sight: Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso
On the ground at the Paris Motor Show, Car Design News speaks to Alfa Romeo’s design VP Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos to learn more about the brand’s stunning new concept
There were definite stars of the show at Paris – and Alfa Romeo’s Cuorerosso concept was one of them.
Marking a new chapter in Alfa Romeo’s design language, the Cuorerosso sets the scene for the personality consumers can expect from future models. The car’s Italian spirit is captured by never separating aesthetics and function and leans into an expression coined by the brand: Bellezza Necessaria (necessary beauty).
A core team of only 12 designers worked on this concept, according to design VP Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, alongside wider transversal teams like powertrain, digital modelling and physical modelling. “We are teeny-tiny but I’m happy as I’ve been able to build a little team,” he explained. “You have to make sure the team is challenged and then they can get excited about the diversity of ideas. You need to build a creative atmosphere.”
With this small team and an even smaller time frame, clay modelling was unfortunately out of the question. The project started in May 2026 and had to be ready by the Paris Motor Show in October 2026. The entire design process was different for the team, following a technique that Mesonero-Romanos had been wanting to try for a while.
“With the length of 4.70m, I provided the proportions, and then I asked the team to just do speed forms as part of an internal competition – just shapes, no lamps, wheels, mirrors or glass,” he explained. “It was like we were creating a human body without eyes, nose and a mouth. It’s actually very difficult to give expression without going into the details.”
He continued: “I loved this particular shape [gestures to the concept] because it has a windshield that was a little bit lower than the rear part of the roof that propels the car towards the front. The other people in the design competition designed something that was more of a teardrop shape, more like a 911 or something classic. I thought this was too obvious and I fell in love with the shape that I chose. Once we had this sculpture, then we started with the wheels, graphics etc to become a car.”
Not everyone was impressed at first, with internal comments made on the concept’s large forehead and eyes that appear too close together, but ultimately, Mesonero-Romanos and his team were striving for character, not just pure beauty. “Sometimes character is more important than beauty, and we definitely went for this contrast,” he added, “it’s not pure beauty and if you saw this concept from miles away, you’d know exactly what it is.”
The approach to the interior also leans on organic forms, with a heart shape created internally through lines flowing from front to rear and vice versa. At first glance, the lines moving throughout the interior appear dynamic and flowing, stretching across the door panels that then become the support for the rear seats. But you soon see that everything is related and therefore a comforting cocooning effect is formed.
Following the trend of ‘phygital’ (sorry) interiors, the Cuorerosso has a digital centre console complemented by physical switches. Notably, the console display behind the wheel can become two circular screens when the driver needs more information, with one appearing from behind the other and moving sideways to sit next to it, like a trusty sidekick. “We just did these organic shapes and a very thin, very lightweight dashboard,” Mesonero-Romanos explained. “We purposefully created more empty space than occupied space. As for the console, you will see this in the future. It’s really clever and the piece has already been developed with the supplier that will make the real thing – that’s the future of screens.”
As Mesonero-Romanos hints above, this concept should make it into production, but how closely the finished car will resemble the original concept is still up for debate. “We made the car with the idea that it would be relatively easy to make because it’s based on a platform that we can deal with without altering or modifying the proportions – so it’s absolutely possible,” said Mesonero-Romanos. “The Cuorerosso was born with the idea of showing the overall design direction of the future of Alfa Romeo.”
He continues: “If you asked me are the lamps going to be round in the next Alfa Romeo or whether it will have this kind or rear window, the answer would be that we will adapt to the different architectures and usages of the cars. In general, the philosophy, the mindset and the direction is set – I can go a little to the left or the right, but the direction is set. It also helps the design team because they know where they are going and it helps the brand and the customer because people know what to expect in the future.”
