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John McIlroy
John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy
ALFA ROMEO is about to kick-start its range recovery with the new Tonale – and the firm will build on this with a baby SUV due in 2024, with the company’s boss promising that even this smallest of models will still “drive like an Alfa”. The Italian brand is gearing up to push its Tonale family SUV into showrooms in the second half of 2022, but the management is already turning its focus towards a smaller model that will arrive around 18 months later. Plans for this new car were confirmed in Polish media late last year, when it emerged that the Stellantis plant in the country’s Tychy region has been chosen to make new models for Fiat, Jeep and Alfa. All three of these vehicles are widely tipped to be smaller cars using the CMP and (all-electric) e-CMP architectures, which will allow the Tychy plant to operate closer to its maximum efficiency. Speaking to Auto Express, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has now all but confirmed that the car due in 2024 is a downsized sibling of the Tonale, designed to give his firm a presence in Europe’s booming small SUV class. “With Tonale, we are coming back to the C-SUV segment, which is one of the best segments in Europe,” he told us. “Next we have to complete the offer with something else that is in the best-selling segment in Europe. That will be the case in 2024.” Company executives, including design director Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, are expected to sign off the final look of the baby SUV this week. Our exclusive images show how the recently previewed stance of the CMP-based small Jeep could be used to support a sister model from Alfa. With a more premium positioning, this car will
● Alfa plans new small SUV, built in Poland, to rival Audi Q2 ● Work also started on successors to Giulia saloon and Stelvio SUV
in effect be Stellantis’s rival for the Audi Q2 and MINI Countryman. Imparato said he is confident that the CMP architecture – which also underpins everything from the Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa to the DS 3 Crossback – can be adapted enough to deliver the spirited driving dynamics expected by Alfa customers. “You will see that it will be an Alfa Romeo,” he said. “We are spending time on designing that car with the same spirit. And the driveability of the car, the performance of that car, will be driven by the tuning thatwe do on theTonale.We can have the driveability of an Alfa with this type of product; I have no doubt of that.” The baby Alfa SUV will be the first car in the company’s history to be offered in pure-electric form – although Imparato suggested that it will be available as a hybrid as well as an EV. This is not a powertrain line-up currently offered on any of the Stellantis CMP models, but it’s likely to reflect the imminent adoption of a new 48-volt, electrified mild-hybrid automatic transmission. A joint venture between Stellantis and Punch Powertrains, it’s due to go into production soon at a plant in Metz, France, and will be paired with the 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engine that will probably be the sole ICE offering. It’s unlikely to deliver long periods of electric-only running, but it could boost the car’s efficiency around town. The three-cylinder unit can produce up to 153bhp – and this seems the likely maximum for the new Alfa, unless engineers can squeeze in
OPINION John McIlroy putyEditor,AutoExpress
JEAN-PHILIPPE Imparato didn’t earn his position as one of Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares’s most trusted lieutenants by shirking difficult decisions. And it would appear that he’s certainly making some big calls at Alfa Romeo. Brand devotees will probably be chewing their fists in frustration when they hear that at least one reborn Spider is in the works, but that there’s no prospect of it arriving until at least three SUVs have been successfully introduced. However, that’s how it has to be. Frankly, we’d be more worried if Imparato were promising coupés and drop-tops aplenty, while ignoring the volume markets that will really shore up Alfa’s balance sheet. As it stands, a year into the job he remains resolutely focused on what will make the company money – and appeal to the greatest number of possible customers. It sounded like an eminently sensible plan 12 months ago; and it still does.
8 6April2022
“Next we have to complete the offer with something else that is in the best-selling segment in Europe. That will be the case in 2024.” JEAN-PHILIPPE IMPARATO CEO Alfa Romeo
