The Alfa Romeo Tonale could be late

 

 The arrival of the Alfa Romeo Tonale could be postponed for three months, at the beginning of 2022, due to changes to the hybrid powertrain wanted by the CEO Imparato.

THREE MONTHS DELAY - The Alfa Romeo Tonale  is a fundamental model for the Biscione, which must try to reverse the trend in Europe, where in recent months the sales have been far from brilliant. Last year, in fact, deliveries fell by a third, reaching 35,503 units, of which 17,332 Stelvio and 10,747 were Giulia. In this context, a compact SUV like the Tonale would represent a real breath of fresh air for the Arese house. However, as reported by Autonews , the long-awaited SUV could come outdelayed by about three months compared to what was previously estimated, postponing its arrival to 2022 .

REVIEW THE HYBRID - The delay would be to be found in the decision of the new CEO of Alfa Romeo , Jean-Philippe Imparato, who would have asked to review the plug-in hybrid version, increasing its power. Specifically, the Tonale, which will be built in Pomigliano d'Arco, using the same technical base as the Jeep Compass, could also share with the latter the plug-in hybrid powertrain that combines a 1.3 petrol unit with an electric motor. 60 HP rear for a total of 190 or 240 HP depending on the version, guaranteeing “zero emissions” up to 49 km (the battery is 11.4 kWh). Making a comparison with another SUV from Stellantis, namely the Peugeot 3008, the latter has a 1.6-liter thermal unit with 200 HP, combined with an electric motor on the front axle and one on the rear for a total of 301 HP, with 59 km of travel with the 13.2 kWh battery alone. In addition, the 3008, compared to the Compass, can also count on lower CO2 emissions; 

THEN THE "B SUV" - The Alfa Romeo Tonale , whose production was expected to start in October 2021, will be joined in 2023 by another smaller SUV (which is located in the so-called B segment), which will have both a combustion version than an electric one. It will be built in Tychy, Poland, alongside similar Jeep and Fiat-branded models using PSA's CMP architecture. 

FAILED ATTEMPTS - Carlos Tavares, CEO of the Stellantis group, has commissioned Imparato, which successfully relaunched Peugeot, to do the same with Alfa Romeo and to develop new common models with DS and Lancia. The task of Imparato will not be easy at all because in recent years Alfa Romeo has undergone several attempts to relaunch which have failed. The latest is that of former FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne, who in 2014 unveiled a 5 billion euro plan to transform Alfa Romeo into a global premium brand capable of giving German luxury rivals such as BMW a hard time. setting the milestone of eight new models, with sales targets of 400,000 vehicles, to be achieved by 2018.