It's a Maserati!->ke51 It's a Jeep!->ke40 Nope, it's the upcoming Alfa Romeo Giulia. Wait, what? Let me explain. Remember the awkward Maserati Ghibli mule that the company used to test the underpinnings of the Levante SUV we saw in late 2014? Well, Fiat->ke30 Chrysler->ke21 Automobiles did it again: it used the Ghibli sedan to mask yet another upcoming product. This time around, hiding underneath the Ghibli's skin is the Alfa Romeo Giulia, the brand's very own competitor for the likes of the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4,->ke1087 and Jaguar XE.->ke3138 According to Tumblr's inno88, the two test mules shown above were spotted while testing in snowy Scandinavia, where all new vehicles go to hone their skills for the cold season.

Sure, there's absolutely no indication these mules are indeed Alfa Romeo Giulias except for the source claiming so. The only photo showing the interior does nothing to help, as the cabin is a mash of FCA parts and includes a steering wheel sourced from a... Jeep. However, I'm 99-percent positive these mules are indeed test beds for the upcoming Giulia, as the sedan is the next new vehicle to come from to the brand according to its new strategy.

Click past the jump to read more about the future Alfa Romeo Giulia.

Why it matters

Penned as a spiritual successor to the 159, a model Alfa Romeo produced and sold between 2005 and 2011, the upcoming Giulia (the name is not official as of February 2015) is arguably the brand's most important new vehicle since the 4C sports car.->ke506 The sedan is an important component in Alfa's strategy to revive itself as an important player globally, and a good reason for us petrol heads to get excited. We still don't know whether this new sedan->ke142 will at least match the 159 in terms of styling and desirability and whether it will be, like many of its predecessors, a fantastic car to drive, but judging by Fiat's massive efforts to underline its new strategy, the Giulia must live up to the hype. Otherwise, it could very well represent the beginning of the end for Alfa Romeo.

Alfa Romeo Giulia

Very little is known about the upcoming Giulia, but various reports claim the sedan will be penned in the classic Alfa Romeo fashion, with a sleek and low-slung, coupe-like body, slim headlamps and taillights, beefy fenders, and an aggressive front bumper with massive air vents. Naturally, the trademark, V-shaped Alfa Romeo grille will make it stand out among other FCA products.

Engine-wise, I expect the Giulia to arrive with a choice of gasoline and diesel powerplants. A 2.0-liter four-banger will deliver between 170 and in excess of 250 horsepower in various trims, with a turbocharged V-6 to motivate the performance-oriented version aimed at the BMW M4. Based on the same unit found in the Maserati Ghibli, the V-6 is likely to generate in excess of 400 ponies. Lastly, a 2.2-liter four-pot diesel tuned to different outputs will deliver a mix of decent performance and solid fuel economy.