Alfa Romeo is in dire need of fresh products following the discontinuation of the Giulietta, MiTo, and the 4C. Adding insult to injury, the GTV and 8C revivals have been axed, so the fabled Italian brand is now down to just two models: Giulia saloon and Stelvio SUV. Come 2022, a new entry will allow the troubled Stellantis brand to widen its customer base with the Tonale, a smaller crossover originally previewed two and a half years ago.
A heavily camouflaged prototype was spotted at the beginning of the month, prompting our friends from Motor.es to imagine what was hiding beneath the funky disguise. We'd argue the compact crossover looks quite sharp, and while it's not the sports car Alfa Romeo rightfully deserves given its heritage, bean counters will argue it's exactly what the company needs.
It won't stray away too far from the showcar unveiled in March 2019, which is a good thing as the original Tonale looked quite promising. The production version was supposed to hit the market this year, but it's been pushed back to 2022 due to its plug-in hybrid powertrain, labelled as being unsatisfactory by Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe.
Positioned below the Stelvio in the company's extremely thin lineup, the new Tonale is rumoured to spawn a Dodge Hornet sibling next year, complete with a PHEV setup. Stellantis has officially confirmed a new electrified Dodge-badged model will be out next year, and reports say it will be a small crossover twinned with the Alfa.
Alfa is working on a small crossover:
Even though the Tonale has yet to be revealed in production guise, there are already rumours suggesting Alfa Romeo is working on an even smaller crossover, potentially called Brennero. It’s supposedly coming out in the first half of 2023 with hybrid and electric powertrains as well as Fiat and Jeep equivalents, but nothing is official at this point.
Source: Motor.es