Alfa Romeo says its SUV is ‘performing well’ with 120,000 sales… except that production has plummeted

It has now been a month since, Alfa Romeo took advantage of the Paris Motor Show to present its CuoreRosso concept, a true manifesto for the Italian brand’s future. But during the conference, Santo Ficili, head of Alfa Romeo, also reviewed the brand’s sales performance. And one statement regarding the Tonale particularly caught our attention.

The executive began by noting that the Junior now accounted for 56 % of Alfa Romeo's sales, with Italy, France, and Germany as its three main markets (he must surely have Read the figures published by Italpassion). Then he focused on the Tonale, this compact SUV, which was supposed to help the brand regain significant sales volume.

And against all expectations, Santo Ficili expressed particular satisfaction with his performance, stating: «Production of the Tonale is nearing 120,000 units, and the model continues to perform very well in many countries.". " That statement surprised us. Because the latest production figures tell a very different story.

120,000 Tonales produced, but a dramatic drop

To understand the situation, we need to look at the Italian plant in Pomigliano d’Arco, where the Tonale has been assembled since 2022. And, most importantly, we need to examine the reports from the FIM-CISL union, which allow us to track changes in its production.

In 2022, the model’s launch year, approximately 20,000 Tonales rolled off the assembly lines. The following year marked a real takeoff, with 82,300 vehicles produced on the shared production line for the Tonale and its American cousin, the Dodge Hornet.

But since then, the trend has completely reversed. In 2024, combined production of the two SUVs fell to about 37,000 units. In 2025, the Tonale alone reached only 17,200 units, a decline of 32 %.

And In the first nine months of 2026, only 11,500 Alfa Romeo Tonales were produced. That works out to just 1,280 vehicles per month!

Is the figure of 120,000 copies credible?

Let’s clarify one important point, however: the 120,000 units mentioned by Santo Ficili refer to cumulative production since the Tonale’s launch, not its annual sales. This figure is, in fact, consistent with industry data. When we break down the volumes, we arrive at approximately 46,000 Tonales in 2023 and 25,300 in 2024, to which we can add the known production figures for 2022, 2025, and 2026.

However, these two estimates should be viewed with caution, as the FIM-CISL does not consistently distinguish between the Tonale and the Dodge Hornet in its older reports. The issue, therefore, is not so much the figure of 120,000 units, but rather the way Alfa Romeo presents the current performance of its SUV.

Production of the Alfa Romeo Tonale in Pomigliano d'Arco (2022–2026)

Year	Alfa Romeo Tonale	Dodge Hornet	Tonale/Hornet Line Total
2022	20,000 ¹	-	20,000 ¹
2023	≈ 46,000 ³	≈ 36,300 ³	82,300 ¹
2024	≈ 25,300 ²	≈ 11,700 ³	≈ 37,000²
2025	17,200 ¹	1,360 ¹	18,560 ¹
2026 (January–September)	11,500 ¹	0 (to be discontinued at the end of 2025)	11,500 ¹
Total as of the end of September 2026	≈ 120,000	≈ 49,400	≈ 169,400

¹ Figure published by the FIM-CISL
² Derived from FIM-CISL reports (2024: Pomigliano production excluding the Panda; Tonale: a 32 % decline announced for 2025)
³ Estimate based on the total of approximately 120,000 Tonale units reported by Alfa Romeo and on U.S. sales of the Hornet

An SUV that's already nearing the end of its life cycle

This situation is all the more surprising given that the Tonale has underwent a facelift in October 2025, featuring a modernized design, new colors, and several technological improvements. This update is intended to revitalize a model whose sales were already struggling.

But since We had revealed this last June, Tonale production is set to end in November 2027, to make way for a new C-segment SUV manufactured in Melfi.

The Tonale’s production run was thus relatively short, falling far short of Alfa Romeo’s initial ambitions. And while the 120,000 units produced represent a symbolic milestone, it’s hard to view it today as a true commercial success.

Because behind Santo Ficili's optimistic rhetoric, one reality remains: The SUV that was supposed to be a volume model for Alfa Romeo now produces fewer than 1,300 units per month. And it is indeed the Junior that is driving most of the brand's momentum today.