Last call for Alfa Romeo. The Italian brand has unveiled Tonale, the long-awaited compact SUV that has a very difficult task. overturning the fate of the brand that records sales reduced to a flicker (23,332 specimens in Europe in 2021, down by 28%) which lead it to be, despite its history and value, the rear of the brands of the Stellantis group: outclassed by Lancia (which with a single car, the very dated Ypsilon, and only in Italy does much better with 43,723 units, also does better than the Biscione DS, which certainly does not shine with 39,692 units (and four models).
Tonale is, therefore, the model that Alfa Romeo cannot go wrong with. And the top management of the brand, starting with the CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato, know this very well. The car also had a very long gestation. Appearing in the form of a concept in March 2019, at the Geneva Motor Show, in the prepandemic era (in the automotive sector, scenarios and geographies have changed in these 24 months), Tonale had to face the integration of Alfa into Stellantis, the technological evolution and a turning point in the quality impressed precisely by Imparato which in fact aims to challenge the German premium triptych (Audi, Bmw and Mercedes) without inferiority complexes and conquer a prominent place in the strategic market of C-SUVs, those of medium size.
Will he succeed? We will find out only by living. as Lucio Battisti said. However, Tonale has it all. Starting with the hybrid engines that make it the first electrified model in Alfa Romeo’s history.
The style is in keeping with the 2019 concept and there are no surprises. Tonal is exactly as expected with very successful flashes of style especially in the front rear luminous signatures where the intelligent full-led matrix protectors stand out, whose “3 + 3” configuration is inspired by the Sz Zagato or the Proteo concept. An element, together with the trilobe of the grille, which validates its DNA with clear references to the past. The execution is remarkable: the specimens we have seen seem to have been built with obsessive care. After all, Imparato has really put pressure on the Pomigliano factory to create a quality car and the confidence in this is so high that the Tonale is the first car with life certification through NFT. A solution that tracks all the interventions the car has undergone and helps maintain residual value (this is good for company fleets). The dimensions are decidedly compact: the car is 4.53 meters long, 1.84 m wide, and 1.60 m high and is based on the Small Wide 4 × 4 LWB platform developed by FCA.
Under the hood are new petrol hybrid powertrains based on 1.5-liter or 1.3-liter units on two levels of electrification and front-wheel drive. Hybrid (a cross between the light hybrid and the Toyota-style full hybrid) and plug-in Hybrid that is rechargeable.