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This thinly veiled concept shows what the new sub-Stelvio crossover will look like.

Alfa Romeo will flesh out its crossover lineup with a new model called the Tonale, a vehicle smaller than the Stelvio that's being previewed in concept-car form at the Geneva auto show. The Tonale looks to use more space-efficient front-wheel-drive underpinnings and will compete with other subcompact luxury SUVs such as the BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA-class, Audi Q3, and Jaguar E-Pace. A plug-in hybrid version with an electric motor at the rear will be on the menu, kicking off Alfa's plans for more electrified models going forward. The company says electrification won't come at the expense of performance and driving dynamics, with the technology instead enhancing those classic Alfa characteristics while also increasing efficiency.

Recognizable as an Alfa Romeo thanks to its distinctive front grille, the Tonale nonetheless has quite different proportions than its big brother, denoting that it doesn't use the rear-drive platform underneath the Giulia and Stelvio. Instead, we suspect it uses a version of Fiat Chrysler's front-wheel-drive compact platform that underpins a number of Jeep models. The plug-in model will have multiple driving modes, including one that allows for maximum performance from both motors and another that lets the Tonale drive under electric power only. The hybrid gets a special logo that's a variation of Alfa's snake emblem but with an electric plug graphic. It's likely that the Tonale will also offer a conventional turbocharged four-cylinder engine as its base powertrain and all-wheel drive as an option.

We're technically seeing the Tonale in concept-car form at this point, but the vehicle being shown at the Geneva auto show doesn't look too far from production aside from its slightly fanciful interior trimmings and some exterior details like door handles and side mirrors. The concept features a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 10.3-inch central touchscreen with a new infotainment interface; both are sure to make their way to production. Although Alfa Romeo hasn't set an official date for its arrival, we'd expect to see the Tonale debut in its final form within a year or so.

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The Tonale is a beautiful concept vehicle that will strongly influence an upcoming subcompact crossover from the Italian company. It shares a streamlined appearance with other Alfa Romeo models, and the production version is expected to slot behind the Stelvio crossover in size and price. The Tonale concept also signals potential styling updates for future Alfa products, with its slim head- and taillights that house distinct lighting elements. Likewise, it previews a plug-in hybrid version that represents the automaker's first electrified model.

Engines, Ride, and Handling

Although full details are still pending, we expect the eventual production version will be based on a front-wheel-drive platform that deviates from the company's current rear-drive architecture. Of course, an all-wheel-drive system undoubtedly will be available to satisfy consumer demands. The plug-in hybrid model will have a rear-mounted electric motor to assist an internal combustion engine up front, most likely a turbocharged four-cylinder. Despite the mechanical departures showcased on the Tonale, Alfa promises it will preserve the driver engagement and performance attributes that are legendary hallmarks.
Read more on the Alfa Romeo Tonale

Interior and Technology

Looking past some of the concept's whimsical interior pieces such as the translucent backlit panels, we expect many design elements and technology features to make their way into the production model. The circular air vents and the driver-centric dashboard are obviously evolved from current Alfa products. The dash also supports a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 10.3-inch center touchscreen. The infotainment system boasts unique content called "Alfista" and "Paddock" that should excite Alfa Romeo fanatics. The former allows people to connect with Alfa clubs and community events, and the latter offers a virtual marketplace to buy performance parts and Alfa-branded merchandise.

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The Giulia and Stelvio haven’t quite lived up to Alfa Romeo’s expectations, especially if you take into consideration parent company FCA spent $1 billion to engineer the Giorgio platform. With the demise of the Giulietta and the 4C not far behind, the fabled Italian brand is in dire need of a new model to truly play in the big leagues along with the Germans.

For this reason, there’s a lot riding on the Tonale and it’s safe to say the compact crossover can’t come soon enough. Previewed in conceptual form nearly two years ago, Alfa Romeo’s all-new model is inching closer as we’re hearing the official unveiling of the production model will take place in September. Citing an internal source, Motor.es claims it will go on sale across Europe in November, with early adopters getting a limited-run Launch Edition.

The report goes on to say Alfa Romeo dealers will begin to display the Tonale from February 2022 and the crossover will inherit most of the concept’s design. It is believed about 90 percent of the showcar’s look has been retained, with the most significant changes being the larger headlights and side mirrors. In fact, images of pre-production units emerged in October 2019, revealing the road-going model in its (almost) final form.

We wouldn’t hold our breath for a Quadrifoglio trim as local reports are indicating a performance version is not a priority because Alfa Romeo is concerned it wouldn’t lure in enough buyers. The Tonale is allegedly borrowing the engines from the Jeep Renegade and will top out with a plug-in hybrid powertrain rated at around 250 horsepower.

The Tonale is not the only new crossover on Alfa Romeo’s agenda as a subcompact model rumored to be called Brennero is expected to arrive in 2022 as a sister model of the next-gen Fiat 500X and Jeep Renegade.

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We have been toying around with the idea of a plug-in hybrid EV version of the upcoming Alfa Romeo Tonale for a while. That assumption grew even stronger back in April when a report stated that new Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato wanted the plug-in hybrid powertrain to have better performance, therefore delaying the compact crossover's launch.

This time around, though, Stellantis has released a confirmation that the Tonale will arrive with a PHEV configuration. This was confirmed in a meeting between Imparato and the senior management at the G.B. Vico plant in Pomigliano d’Arco, Italy, where the Tonale will be built.

The main gist of the meeting was about "Quality without compromise," along with a pep talk among suppliers concerning quality. In the release that came with the meeting, Stellantis mentioned that the Tonale would be the first plug-in hybrid offering in the Alfa Romeo lineup.

The Tonale will sit below the Stelvio in the lineup and is bound to be sold in the US. Although no other details have been confirmed yet, previous reports stipulate that the Tonale will be using the current Jeep Compass platform that allows electrification.

As for the design, well, recent and first spy shots of the Alfa Romeo Tonale came out last month, showing that the crossover will be taking a lot from the Tonale Concept from the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. However, we have yet to get a glimpse of its cabin, which we think won't be as futuristic as the concept that was shown two years ago.

The Tonale is expected to be revealed during the first quarter of 2022 and will hit European showrooms by June of the same year. It will surely arrive in the US, but we have yet to know when.

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March 2019 is when Alfa Romeo signaled its intentions towards coming out with a third product to follow the Giulia and Stelvio. Fast forward nearly three years later, you're still not going to find the Tonale at your local dealer. It has been obsessively spied testing ahead of its 2022 market launch, but to our knowledge, these new shots from Walter Vayr are the first showing the final headlights and taillights almost entirely exposed.

We can easily see the lighting clusters will largely retain the inner design we saw on the concept, but they won't be as sleek since the headlights (with boomerang-shaped turn signals) and taillights are visibly larger. The disguise on the tailgate hides what might be an LED light bar since the showcar had it, bisected by the Alfa Romeo badge. We also get to take a peek inside where there's a fairly large touchscreen for the infotainment, albeit it doesn't seem to be integrated into the fancy curved glass housing of the concept.

On a related note, the company's boss in North America briefly mentioned the Tonale in an interview published today by Wards Auto. Larry Dominique confirmed the compact crossover is coming next year, adding it will be offered with a choice between a 2.0-liter gasoline engine and an unspecified plug-in hybrid powertrain. He went on to say it'll be "Alfa, Alfa, Alfa" in regard to weight balance and performance.

The only other tidbit he disclosed – although rather vaguely – was the fact it'll be "slightly smaller" than the Stelvio, which measures 4,687 millimeters (184.5 inches). According to a recent report, the Tonale will be 4,528 mm (178.3 in) long, 1,835 mm (72.2 in) wide, and 1,604 mm (63.1 in) tall. As a refresher, the bigger SUV is 1,903 mm (74.9 in) wide and 1,648 mm (64.9 in) tall. In terms of wheelbase, the Stelvio's stretches at 2,818 mm (110.9 in) while the new model is said to measure 2,636 mm (103.8 in) between the axles or nearly identical to the mechanically related Jeep Compass.

The gasoline unit mentioned by Larry Dominique could be a four-cylinder with either 130 or 160 horsepower and mild-hybrid technology in the case of the more potent configuration. As for the PHEV, it's expected to have a rear-mounted electric motor to give the Tonale an all-wheel-drive setup and a total system output of 240 horsepower. That figure makes sense considering the Jeep Compass 4xe has an identical electrified punch.

It will be one of the last Alfa Romeo models with a combustion engine as the Italian brand has vowed to go fully electric from 2027, but a smaller ICE-powered Brennero crossover (with EV option) is said to shortly follow the Tonale. Technically, there could still be some conventionally powered Alfas after that since the Stellantis brand claims it will be 100 percent electric-only in enlarged Europe, North America, and China.

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It's finally here. After an exhausting teaser campaign that started in 2019 with the namesake concept, the production-ready Tonale is celebrating its world premiere today. A new Alfa debut doesn't happen very often, and although it's yet another crossover, we are still giddy with excitement. Let's face the ugly truth and admit the sub-Stelvio model has more sales potential than the promised-then-canceled 8C and GTV sports cars.

People have criticized Porsche for launching the Cayenne and Macan, but look where the Zuffenhausen brand is today. There have never been so many 718 and 911 derivatives, all made possible thanks to the huge popularity the two high-riding models are enjoying. Their success has funded the development of core models, and hopefully, Alfa Romeo will follow suit.

Tonale will be the company’s first-ever electrified model and it should come in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid configurations. The PHEV is believed to sit on top of the range with a generous amount of power and all-wheel drive. It won’t be an all-Alfa effort since the compact crossover is expected to be loosely based on a Jeep Compass and its 4xe version.

That doesn’t mean Alfa will be slapping its badge on a Compass and calling it a day as we are certain it will be substantially sportier and more luxurious. It needs to be given the stiff competition it will have to face once it will go on sale later this year in Europe. The hotly anticipated crossover has already been confirmed for the US market and the firm hopes its new Tonale will be more successful than the Stelvio. The latter has never impressed in terms of sales, but a more affordable product has greater potential.

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Alfa Romeo has officially unveiled the Tonale, its latest model. The Italian-born crossover is now the smallest model in the company's lineup, which should help the Milanese marque obtain better sales figures in the coming years. It is also the first plug-in hybrid offered by Alfa Romeo, and an all-electric version will follow.
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From a design perspective, the Tonale does not surprise those who have seen the concept vehicle from 2019. Those who have already seen the leaked images of the Tonale are not surprised, either. The front end comes with six light units, like the SZ Zagato or Proteo Concept cars.

The rear of the Tonale features a similarly designed set of taillights, while the star of the profile is the Teledial wheel, available in 17-, 18-, 19-, and 20-inch flavors. That is right, Alfa Romeo offers four sizes for its legendary model of alloy wheels. It may seem a bit too much, but at least you have where to choose from, right?

On the inside, there is a new DNA drive mode selector, a fully digital gauge cluster, and a 10,25-inch multimedia screen. The latter comes with over-the-air updates and integrates Amazon Alexa, among other features. The cockpit is designed in pure Alfa Romeo fashion, which means there is a sporty look, with a dash of retro-styled touches.

The steering wheel is similar to the one found on the Giulia and Stelvio, and the massive aluminum gearshift paddles are also present behind it. The company has decided against eliminating all the buttons on the steering wheel or center console, so you will still be able to adjust things without looking at a screen or finger-surfing through complex menus. Our hats are tipped for offering this, but only if they manage to provide stellar ergonomics (pun intended).

The Tonale will be offered in mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions on all markets where it will be sold. The North American and Middle Eastern markets will be able to order the Tonale with a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that provides 256 horsepower, Q4 all-wheel-drive, and a nine-speed automatic transmission (with torque converter). No manual transmissions are offered in the range, regardless of market or version.

European customers will not be offered that version, but they will be able to get a 1.6-liter diesel variant with 130 horsepower and a six-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission, but only with a front-wheel-drive configuration.

Those interested in the most powerful version available will have to opt for a plug-in hybrid version with up to 275 horsepower on tap, along with the all-wheel drive. This variant is estimated to be able to provide an all-electric drive for up to 50 miles (80 km) in urban environments.

Its 1.3-liter gasoline engine provides 180 horsepower, while all-wheel drive is ensured by an electric motor fitted to the rear axle. The plug-in hybrid model will come with a 15.5 kWh battery, which will be enough for an estimated range of over 60 kilometers (37 miles) in all-electric mode on the combined cycle.

Charging the battery from a 7.4 kW wall charger will take two and a half hours. When performance is concerned, Alfa Romeo announces a 0-62 mph (100 kph) time of just 6.2 seconds, which the brand claims is the best in its class.

The base model comes with 130 horsepower from a 1.5-liter unit that has a belt-operated starter-generator unit mated to it so that it can form a 48V mild-hybrid setup. This version will only be available with front-wheel drive and a seven-speed hybrid automatic dual-clutch transmission.

The engine for the plug-in hybrid has been designed to operate in this role, and it operates in the Miller cycle. The second mild hybrid in the range is based on a 1.5-liter gasoline engine, but with a variable geometry turbocharger and other small modifications to help it provide 160 horsepower. Front-wheel drive and the seven-speed dual-clutch unit, are also standard on this model.

Alfa Romeo's Tonale will be launched in June 2022 across Europe, and it will be available in other markets as well by the end of this year. As a world-first, the Italians have also prepared an NFT for each vehicle, which is meant to record each stage of the vehicle's life from the moment it is ordered (if the customer agrees, of course). The idea is to provide extra value when the car will be sold on the second-hand market, as the blockchain service records cannot be faked.

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The definitive design of the Tonale is extraordinarily faithful to the concept car from which it draws its origins, courtesy of the remarkable work done at the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo.

Intended for a young, metropolitan and dynamic customer, the Alfa Romeo Tonale offers a distinctive, sensual and forward-looking design, extolling new stylistic canons destined remain as points of reference in the development of the Alfa Romeo line-up: 5-hole wheel rims, the cluster in the "telescopic" instrument panel, the 3-spoke sports steering wheel, and the sine-curve headlights. Its compact dimensions - a length of 4.53 meters, width of 1.84 m and height of 1.6 m - thus encompass the uniqueness of Italian design and the original, contemporary style typical of Alfa Romeo.

We see the recurrence of stylistic features that have entered the history of world motoring, such as the "GT Line" that runs from the rear to the headlights, recalling the forms of the Giulia GT and alternating with the full and elegant volumes, reminiscent of iconic models such as the 8C Competizione. The front features the inimitable "Trilobo" and the distinctive Alfa Romeo "Scudetto" shield, which acts as a central focus.

The "3+3" headlights with new Full-LED Adaptive Matrix evoke the proud look of the SZ Zagato or the Proteo concept car. Developed in conjunction with Marelli, the three modules make up a unique frontline for the car and simultaneously provide daylight, dynamic turn signals and a "Welcome and Goodbye" feature (activated every time the driver turns the car on or off), to ensure the best lighting conditions courtesy of the introduction of two sophisticated technologies. The first of these - "Adaptive Driving Beam" - constantly adjusts the dipped headlights according to speed and specific driving conditions; the second - "Glare-Free High Beam Segmented Technology" - automatically detects traffic in front and/or traveling in the opposite direction to avoid glare from other cars; finally, a third module, automatically activated when turning corners to ensure the best lateral lighting. These technologies offer greater efficiency - in terms of durability and energy saving with twice the light intensity of conventional halogen lamps and lower emissions - and improved safety, with less eye strain and better driving comfort.

The taillights take on the same design cues as the headlights and form a sine curve that fully wraps around the rear of the car, making it a truly unique and distinctive light signature.

The car's sensuality and dynamism are also clear in the all-encompassing rear window, a tribute to the 8C Competizione, and in the design of the alloy wheels that reproduce the Alfa Romeo style canon of the "telephone dial".

Inspired by Alfa Romeo's racing history, the interior is strongly focused on the driver, with easy access to all controls for a safe, unparalleled driving experience. The same care is reserved for the passengers, who are given the ideal space to travel in comfort. This results in an environment designed for and around the occupants, characterized by meticulous attention to detail paired with a constant quest for the highest quality.

The Tonale's interior arouses real emotions, not to mention the latest technology, ensuring a connected and comfortable experience, while maintaining the pleasure of a sporty drive that always remains in the lead.

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The clock is ticking on Alfa Romeo’s combustion powerplants, more rapidly than for almost any other automaker. The Italian company is committed to exclusively selling EVs as soon as 2027. Of comparable sized automakers, only Jaguar is set to move more quickly, the British brand saying it will have made its own transition to full electrification by 2025. Yet while Jaguar has offered a competitive EV for several years, the well regarded i-Pace, Alfa is only just taking the first tentative step on its electric journey.

That’s with the car we’ve driven here, the new Tonale, a compact luxury crossover that effectively understudies the Stelvio in the corporate portfolio. Although the first US-spec cars will be getting a conventional 256-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged-four, the version that will be launched first in Europe features a 48-Volt hybrid system, and Alfa is committed to offering a plug-in with an electrically driven rear axle on both sides of the Atlantic soon afterwards.

Although Autoweek likes to encourage automakers in their electric endeavors, I can report that US buyers are not going to be missing out on a charismatic powerplant by the decision not to bring this hybrid stateside. This is a joyless powerplant in no danger of making any list of Alfa’s many combustion highlights. It uses a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine featuring the mild novelties of Miller Cycle timing and a variable geometry turbocharger to help boost economy, and working in conjunction with both a 20-hp 48-Volt electric motor that sits between it and the standard seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox. The total peak output is just 158 hp—pitted against 3365 lbs of car—and is delivered exclusively to the front wheels through a seven-speed double-clutch transmission.

The new engine isn’t any more exciting in reality than it is on paper. Unlike most 48-Volt hybrid systems, the Tonale can power itself under pure electric power at more than just maneuvering speeds, although there is often an obvious gap in torque as it hands over propulsion to the conventional engine. Although subdued under gentle use, the hybrid sounds harsh when worked hard, and has no enthusiasm to rev beyond the 5750 rpm at which peak power arrives. The launch cars also suffered from a slightly inconsistent throttle response, feeling like it continued to apply power for a fraction of a second after the gas pedal was lifted.

Yet this matters little as Alfa has no plans to bring the less powerful hybrid system to the US. The good news is that the rest of the car is good enough to show solid promise for the versions that will make it over here.
The US is not missing out on a charismatic powerplant. The good news is that the rest of the car is good enough to show solid promise for the versions that will make it over here.

Design is a definite strong point. You will forgive a good looking car much more than a bad looking one, a principle that Alfa Romeo has often pushed to breaking point with some of its beautiful, fragile models. Yet although a compact crossover still doesn’t feel like a particularly obvious recipient for the company’s famous badge, the result is a seriously handsome junior SUV—one that manages to look much bigger and more grown up than similarly sized alternatives like the Audi Q3 and BMW X1. Details like the Tonale’s heart-shaped radiator grille, triple-element headlights, and “telephone dial” alloy wheels add to the sense of occasion.

The interior is every bit as impressive, much more so than the plasticky cabins of the Stelvio and Giulia. Alfa has created a much more modern feeling interior for the Tonale, with nice-feeling materials and the combination of a standard digital instrument pack and high resolution 10.2-inch touchscreen in the center of the dashboard. Space is good up front and reasonable in back, there is a good range of driving position adjustment and cruising refinement is excellent. The new UI system also works cleanly and intuitively, and the Tonale also supports Alexa voice inputs, being intelligent enough to correctly interpret commands like “play classic rock” or “navigate me to a good pizzeria.” (Easy in Italy, less so in the Midwest.)

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Engine aside, the rest of the driving experience also felt in need of some more polish. The standard passive dampers incorporate dual valve technology to improve compliance, but even on generally smooth roads the ride felt hard and sometimes harsh—the test cars riding on the largest possible 20-inch wheels may have been a contributory factor. The optional active dampers proved more compliant in their softer mode, and gave crisper front-end responses. The quick-geared steering delivered strong front end responses and grip levels were impressively keen on Pirelli P-Zero sports tires, but little discernible feedback got through the electric power assistance. E-boosted brakes felt more natural than the Stelvio’s brake-by-wire system, but there was still a slight hesitancy discernible at times.

Alfa’s first move towards electrification might be a small one, but we we won’t need to wait long for more radical progress. The PHEV Tonale will follow soon after the launch of the straight gasoline version in the US, this combining the efforts of a 1.3-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor at the back to produce a system peak of 270 hp. A battery-electric Tonale will follow in 2024, and Alfa will introduce its first EV-only model in 2025, with Alfa set to be a technology leader for the entire Stellantis group.

“I will have the range, I will have the power and I will have the charging rate,” Alfa CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato told Autoweek at the Tonale launch, “for Alfa Romeo you have to have that.”

Imparato is also certain that the US will play a key part in this electric future, where he anticipates Alfa will continue to make around a third of its global sales even beyond the point it drops combustion engines.

“My state mix is completely consistent with the EV move,” he said, “I am selling cars in California, Miami, New York, Washington. There is a convergence there to the EV mapping. The guys are ready for me, I just have to demonstrate that I have the performance, the quality and the right level of design.”

The Euro-spec Tonale ticks two of those boxes. Here’s hoping US-bound models can add a generous dose of dynamic excitement to the mix.

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Until last week, we were expecting the Alfa Romeo Tonale to be sold with two powertrains here. When the compact crossover greeted the world for the first time in February, Alfa Romeo told us our market could expect a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder as the base option, putting out 256 horsepower through a nine-speed automatic to all four wheels. The premium choice would be a plug-in hybrid powertrain that paired a 177-hp, 1.3-liter four-cylinder turning the front axle with a 121-hp electric motor working the rear axle for a combined 275 hp. The PHEV would also be capable of 30 miles of pure-electric motoring in the U.S. Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato told Automotive News Europe during the media drive that the non-hybrid 2.0-liter is no longer an option for the U.S. because Alfa Romeo needs to go especially aggressive on reducing emissions here.

In Europe, the Tonale can be ordered with both powertrains as well as a diesel. Here, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently proposed a new set of regulations that lay out tougher benchmarks for an automaker's CO2 emissions. If the regulations pass, 35% of an automaker's sales in the state will need to be zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) by 2026 and 100% by 2035. California, by itself, is on the cusp of passing Germany as the world's fourth-largest economy, according to Bloomberg. Furthermore, 13 states and the District of Columbia adhere to CARB emissions rules, nine of those follow California's ZEV program, and three more states will join the ZEV regulations over the next three years. Alfa Romeo sold just over 18,000 cars here last year, and it needs plenty of Tonales to offset all those Stelvios. Across the Atlantic, the Euro 7 emissions giving carmakers public fits are slated to come into force on July 1, 2025. For these reasons as well as Alfa Romeo's commitment to going all-electric this decade, Imperato told ANE the PHEV is "an existential need" in the lineup.

An Alfa Romeo spokesperson in the U.S. elaborated to Car and Driver, "As a premium brand, the PHEV better aligns with what our customers want in this segment as it provides an elevated experience, greater performance, and more than 30 miles of electric range." The subtext here is that the Tonale's corporate twin, the Dodge Hornet, will offer both powertrains when it goes on sale next year. While one could dismiss the idea of Dodge and Alfa Romeo buyers cross-shopping in the segment, making the Tonale PHEV-only doesn't just avoid the issue, it saves the Tonale from having a lower-output version of the same 2.0-liter turbo powertrain as the Hornet — 256 hp vs. 268 hp — which was previously the plan.

The Tonale order books opened to U.S. shoppers November 17. Imperato told ANE 35,000 European buyers have already put their names on the list, a figure that could flummox all but the patient come 2023 when deliveries commence. Chinese battery maker CATL provides the pack for the Tonale and told Alfa Romeo it could only guarantee delivering 35,000 batteries next year. Meanwhile, it's said the Italian workers at the Pomigliano plant that builds the Tonale and Hornet are ramping up slowly to ensure the quality and reliability Imperato has made one of his missions for the brand.

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Deliveries of the Alfa Romeo Tonale aren’t supposed to start in the United States until the second quarter of this year but the crossover is already enjoying very strong demand. So much so that the automaker is reportedly adding a second shift to its Pomigliano factory in Italy where the Tonal is produced.

In the same plant, Stellantis also builds the Fiat Panda and the manufacturer is cutting a shift from the production of the small car. Soon, the same assembly line will also become responsible for the Dodge Hornet, which is essentially a rebadged version of the Tonale. The Italian crossover is currently sold in Europe and Japan, and will soon arrive on US shores where it has a starting price of $42,995 for the entry-level Sprint trim.

The Pomigliano factory had a strong 34 percent increase in its output last year to a total of 165,000 units, of which 20,000 were Tonales. With the addition of a second shift for the crossover, the Tonale output will increase to about 400 units per day. The announcement also means the 1,600 workers that were temporarily laid off from the plant will return to work.

In its first year on the market, the Tonale registered 11,171 sales in Europe but it was announced back in November last year that the pre-orders for the model have reached 35,000 units. On the Old continent, the model is sold with a plug-in hybrid, mild-hybrid, and diesel engines, as opposed to the United States where only the PHEV powertrain is available. The electrified mill pairs a small 1.3-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with an electric motor for a total output of 285 hp.

The Tonale is part of Alfa Romeo’s plan to have at least 40 percent of its sales coming from outside Europe by the end of the decade compared to just 18 percent in 2021. The closely related Dodge Hornet is also expected to generate strong sales with early estimations showing more than 40,000 potential sales per year.

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