Alfa Romeo to electrify its range
Long-lived but struggling Italian brand Alfa Romeo is about to amp it up.
“If you are not electrified you are dead,” the company’s new CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato, told Italian media at a recent round-table.
“Every new model will be electrified, and full-electric, beginning with the Tonale in 2022,” he said. The Tonale is Alfa Romeo’s next all-new model. It’s a smaller-than-Stelvio SUV.
Former Peugeot boss Imparato took over the top job at Alfa Romeo in January, soon after the merger of PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was finalised to create Stellantis. This new auto-industry giant owns more than a dozen European and North American brands and is the world’s third biggest car maker.
One of Imparato’s first decisions after taking over at Alfa Romeo was to delay the European launch of the Tonale by three months, until June, in order to make some improvements.
“The Tonale is Alfa Romeo’s first electrified car, so we have to do a really high level job,” he said. Imparato was unhappy with the performance of the PHEV version, so called on Stellantis’s electric expertise to make quick improvements. A Tonale EV is also planned, though it is to be launched later than the other variants.
The executive said the replacements for the current Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV will include EV versions. He also confirmed that Alfa Romeo is working on an all-new small SUV that will slot into the line-up beneath the Tonale, and that there will be an EV variant.
Imparato also aims to bring some welcome stability to Alfa Romeo.
“We must not change strategy every day,” he said.
