Stellantis’ First Alfa Romeo, Tonale is First Step to an Electric Future
Alfa Romeo has finally unveiled its long awaited Tonale SUV. Stellantis’ first Alfa Romeo, Tonale is also Alfa’s first foray into electrification. It comes in two mild and one flagship plug in hybrids and can be expected in South Africa this year.
An Electrified Alfa Romeo. Get Usd to It
The 95 and 118 kW mild-hybrids feature a four-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine. They turn a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and a 48V electric motor. The 200 kW plug-in hybrid has 1.3-litre Fiat 500 turbo petrol. Driving the front axle and an electric motor propelling the rear end, powered by a 15.5 kWh battery. It has active start-up and electric low-speed driving and cruising modes and is good for 100 km/h in 6.2sec. The all-wheel-drive hybrid can travel up to 80 km on electric power alone.
Like its Stelvio sister, the all-new Tonale is named after a famous Italian mountain pass. The final Alfa Romeo’s to ride on an old Fiat Chrysler platform it shares with the Jeep Renegade. It is 4.53m long, 1.84m wide and 1.6m tall. New owners Stellantis’ global platforms will now take force. Tonale can accommodate fully electric drive too. It gets frequency-selective damped MacPherson suspension, 50:50 weight distribution and a brake-by-wire system promise instantaneous and direct response.
Packing premium SUV spec from a digital 12.3-inch screen, a 10.25” touchscreen with a customisable home screen. It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, over-the-air updates. A host of driver assistance systems, including adaptive cruise control and traffic-jam assistance. Add an Amazon Alexa voice assistant to deliver parcels directly by unlocking the car remotely!
Tonale Should be in SA by Spring
The company also revealed that all Alfas will become electric from 2027. A new Alfa Romeo will also be launched every year until 2030. That said, we have heard, but not seen it all before. Expect a fully electric Brennero SUV in 2025, an electric four-door GT coupé after that. As well as replacements for the current Giulia and Stelvio, and a proper sports car to follow. Tonale should be in SA in the spring.
