Alfa Romeo looking to electric motors for Tonale Quadrifoglio

Alfa Romeo’s next high-performance Quadrifoglio model could be a battery electric vehicle.

In revealing its Tonale compact SUV, Alfa Romeo says it is considering electrification to create a pinnacle QV variant.

For now, Alfa Romeo says the Tonale Quadrifoglio hasn’t been signed off, instead insisting it will decide “at a later stage” whether to commit to a car that would compete with the pinnacle of go-fast SUVs.

Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato told overseas media that a decision will be made by the end of this year.

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“We will decide for that version at a later stage whether to produce that or not,” says product manager Daniel Tiago Guzzafame.

But given key rivals have high-performance alternatives – including the Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG, Audi RSQ3 and BMW X2 M35i – it’s difficult to imagine Alfa Romeo not joining in on the compact SUV fun.

And whereas Alfa Romeo is late to the electric party – the Tonale will offer the company’s first hybrid car and the first BEV is not due until 2024 – it has an opportunity to be at the pointy end of a high-performance electric rush.

But Guzzafame says both ICE and EV versions are under consideration for a Tonale Quadrifoglio.

“We have some alternatives both on pure thermal [internal combustion engine] and in the electrification world,” says Guzzafame. “We want to have something that is relevant and coherent with the Quadrifoglio emblem on one side and also coherent and relevant to the market on the other side.”

Considering Alfa Romeo is planning only to have electrified vehicles in its range by 2027, it’s a BEV that again seems to make more sense, something backed up by executives.

When pushed, Guzzafame said “the future Alfa Romeo will be electric – and that gives a part of the answer”.

When it arrives in Australia early in 2023 the Tonale will have a mild hybrid system paired to a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo engine. The most powerful version uses a variable geometry turbo to make 119kW.

Australia is also expected to get the PHEV version, which uses a 1.3-litre turbo and 90kW electric motor to produce 205kW. The plug-in hybrid Tonale accelerates to 100km/h in a claimed 6.2 seconds.