The Alfa Romeo Giulia lineup isn't even on sale yet in the United States, yet there's a new rumor out suggesting that the Italian brand will fill what looks to be a glaring gap in the model's lineup.

That plug comes in the form of a 350-horsepower version of the Giulia compact sedan, which should slot in nicely between the 280-hp base/Ti variants and the bonkers 510-hp Giulia Quadrifoglio.

MORE: 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Preview

The leak was first discovered by Squadra Tuning in the Netherlands, but Auto Evolution was sent a separate document indicating that a 350-horsepower, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder Giulia will be headed to the United States. The information suggests that the mid-level Giulia will be only offered with an automatic gearbox and will send power to all four wheels. By contrast, the 280-hp Giulia is set to be offered with rear- or all-wheel drive and an automatic, while the range-topping Quadrifoglio is available with an automatic and rear drive.

Interestingly, the screen shot supposedly from the U.S. market also indicates that a Quadrifoglio manual transmission variant has been earmarked for our shores. While this model does exist overseas, Alfa has so far said that only the automatic Quadrifoglio will be sold here. So, that's something else to speculate about...although its presence is not nearly as newsworthy as confirmation of a mid-level Giulia powertrain. 

Squadra Tuning found its information on an internal parts website. It's not clear where Auto Evolultion's leak came from, but it is said to be specific to the American market. 

DON'T MISS: 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia first drive

Such a model will allow the Giulia lineup to compete better with rivals from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Cadillac. Here's a look at how the models stack up, based solely on horsepower since that's all we know right now for this new "mystery model" Giulia:

Base configurations

  • Alfa Romeo Giulia/Giulia Ti—280 hp
  • BMW 330i—248 hp (BMW does offer a 320i with 180 hp)
  • Cadillac ATS—272 hp
  • Mercedes-Benz C300—241 hp

Mid-level configurations

  • Alfa Romeo Giulia mystery model—350 hp
  • BMW 340i—320 hp
  • Cadillac ATS—335 hp
  • Mercedes-AMG C43—362 hp

High-performance configurations

  • Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio—510 hp
  • BMW M3—425-444 hp
  • Cadillac ATS-V—464 hp
  • Mercedes-AMG C63—469-503 hp

Needless to say, a 350-hp Giulia would make a lot of sense for Alfa Romeo.  We look forward to getting behind the wheel of each version.