The company’s management decided that the hybrid installation, which is equipped with a compact crossover, needs to be improved.
Sales of Alfa Romeo vehicles in Europe have been falling over the past few years. So, for the 2019th the brand lost 53.5%, and for the “covid” 2020th – 34.3%. Old world dealers sold only 35,718 copies last year, while in 2017 the figure exceeded 86.8 thousand units. The model range of the Italian brand needs “fresh blood”, its role should be performed by the Tonale crossover, however, apparently, it will still have to wait. Maserati showed the prototype of the Grecale crossover on the platform from Alfa Romeo Stelvio
The Alfa Romeo Tonale will be delayed by about three months, according to Automotive News Europe. We remind, it was assumed that the public debut of the serial new crossover of the brand will take place in September this year, and in November on the old world market will begin live sales of the model. If you believe the words of the agency’s source, now the premiere of the new product will take place closer to the end of 2021, and the cars will probably reach dealers only at the beginning of next year.
It is reported that the reason for the delay was the need to finalize the hybrid system, which is equipped with Tonale. The current CEO of the brand, Jean-Phillip Imparato, insisted on this. Now the power plant is awaiting recalibration, which will result in a change in the system indicators. Alfa Romeo says goodbye to sports cars: the final version of the 4C Spider is presented
The Alfa Romeo Tonale is based on the same platform as the Jeep Compass. Recall that both brands previously belonged to the concern Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and now they are part of the recently formed auto giant Stellantis (appeared as a result of the merger of FCA and the French PSA group). From the “donor” the novelty will receive, among other things, a hybrid power plant 4xe, based on a 1.3-liter turbo engine. The Compass has either 190 hp or 240 hp. (torque – 270 Nm). The battery capacity is 11.4 kWh, the Jeep’s electric range is enough for 49 km.
Recall that the harbinger of Tonale – the concept of the same name – was shown by the company at the Geneva Salon in 2019. It is expected that the appearance of the production version will not differ much from the show car: perhaps with traditional side mirrors and other optics.
The production of the SUV will be launched at the facilities of the Pomigliano plant near Naples (the Fiat Panda hybrid hatchback is also produced here). There are no prices, even approximate ones, yet. The Alfa Romeo Tonale should take the niche of the brand’s entry-level crossover, so it will likely be cheaper than the Stelvio. The price tag of this SUV in Germany starts at 49.5 thousand euros.
Earlier it was reported that Alfa Romeo may have a model that will compete with the BMW 5 series. In addition, we published the first image of a sports sedan: the designer of the Spanish edition of motor.es proposed his version at the beginning of last month.
