With the Giulietta small hatchback and mid-engined 4C sports car discontinued, Alfa Romeo was down to just two models – Giulia and Stelvio. The new Tonale compact crossover is a crucial model for the Italian brand's projected growth as the troubled Stellantis marque wants to double production by the end of 2023. Doing so will enable Alfa to transition from an "emotion brand down to a rational one," according to its UK boss.
In an interview with Autocar, Damien Dally said Alfa Romeo has set its sights on entering more volume segments. Case in point, a smaller crossover – potentially dubbed "Brennero" – is scheduled to go on sale in 2024 with combustion and electric powertrains. An EV-only model will follow in 2025 when new product launches will do away with the combustion engine altogether. By 2027, sales of vehicles with combustion engines will come to an end.
2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale
In the meantime, spy shots have revealed the Giulia and Stelvio midsize cars are due for a mild facelift. The two will be sold for a few years with a mix of gasoline and diesel engines before Alfa Romeo will pull the plug on the ol' ICE. In a separate report, Auto Express claims the next-gen sedan will ride on the STLA Large platform and offer roughly 500 miles (800 kilometers) of range. It's also said to get fast-charging capabilities by providing 20 miles of range for each minute spent with the charging cable plugged in.
Beyond volume-oriented products, Damien Dally told Autocar there will hopefully come a time when Alfa Romeo is going to release another sports car:
"Not immediately, as those are small segments, but those are cars which I'm sure everyone would love to see Alfa [make again]. Let's get a sustainable business model, let's get into the volume segments, grow our business and then we can dream again.
There are lots of amazing things to come, but let's first get this amazing, emotional brand down to a rational level. Let’s get ourselves into some volume segments. Let’s wake some people up to the brand."
He went on to say Alfa has enough value as a brand to roll out cars that can cost £150,000 or even £500,000 provided it's a limited-edition model. Before getting there, there will be some bigger vehicles positioned above the Giulia and Stelvio. At the other end of the lineup, a new entry-level model to replace the defunct MiTo supermini is also in the cards. As you might have heard, Lexus is now Alfa Romeo's luxury benchmark.
