Emotions will not be enough to revive Alfa Romeo, which in 2020 it sold only 35,718 cars, a worryingly low number if we consider that in the same period the 911s that left the Porsche factories reached 34,328. The Giulia GTA and GTAm are a beautiful gift to the few enthusiasts who will be able to afford them and will help to replenish the coffers of the Biscione which, however, to resume running for real, has a desperate need for fresh models capable of expanding the range, increasing sales volumes. The race for German rivals seems like a mission impossible, but the prestige of the brand and the potential value of the asset require rapid and effective interventions to reverse the trend. It is the great challenge that the CEO of Stellantis, Carlos Tavares, entrusted to Jean Philippe Imparato, who climbed on the bridge of the Milanese house with passion and with the best intentions to make his mark. But what moves does the new Alfa Romeo CEO have in mind to relaunch the brand?
The new business plan does not start from a blank sheet. Learned received as an inheritance an incredibly meager range, with Giulia and Stelvio practically stopped at the starting blocks it’s a Juliet now far from its best days, but also the long-awaited concept SUV Tonale, which should finally turn into a real car and, at best, put its wheels on the road in mid-2020. at least one other high-wheeled model in close proximity. With a focus on electrification, finally. Tonale, who will have to contend with on the market rivals of the likes of BMW X1 and Audi Q3, will not be born as a 100% electric model, but will have rechargeable hybrid engines, leaving a smaller model with the honor and the burden of bringing battery-only power to its debut in the Biscione range.
Something is already known about this new SUV. It will certainly be the smallest in the high-wheeled range of the Milanese manufacturer – which for now includes only the Stelvio and in 2022 should expand precisely with Tonale – and like its older brothers it too could have the name of an Alpine pass. Someone speculates Palade, the pass that connects Merano with Fondo in Val di Non. We will see, even if this is not the point, since the real challenge will be to obtain a car capable of giving the driving pleasure of an Alfa Romeo exploiting the eCMP platform of the PSA group. More than on truly sporty models, it is on this architecture that laid the foundations for the success of compact front-wheel drive models such as the new Peugeot 208, Opel Corsa and their high-wheeled derivatives 2008 and Mokka, which Alfa Romeo seems to want to put away most of its ambitions to return to the top floors of the automotive industry.
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