Alexandre
As you know, Alfa Romeo is relying heavily on countries other than Europe to boost sales. Among these countries is the United States, a rather good customer for the Giulia and Stelvio, as it is quite simply the world's largest car manufacturer. Alfa Romeo's second-best customer for the first half of 2023.
The compact SUV Alfa Romeo Tonale just begins its US career because the first models were registered in June 2023, and Jean-Philippe Imparato is counting on this model to help him reach his target. ambitious target of 80,000 registrations that same year.
But there's a snake in the boot, Tonale takes on its American cousin Dodge Hornetan almost carbon copy, and sold for 12,000 $ less...
So, where do these two models stand in the land of Uncle Sam? The NHSTA provides a good clue. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is responsible for road safety in the United States, and has recalled early September 2023 all Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV and Dodge Hornet PHEV produced between February 9, 2023 and August 23, 2023 for the American market. At issue is a defect in the pedestrian horn.
NHSTA reminds us 1875 Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV and 2254 Dodge Hornet PHEV.
This score only concerns the plug-in hybrid versions of the two brands, but it does give a trend in favor of the Dodge Hornet. See you in early 2024 when we'll have all the figures for 2023!
And to think that according to some this was supposed to be the miracle product... I'm laughing but I'm laughing!
For the Tonale to sell, it would have needed a more powerful engine, but now it looks like an Abarth (except for the price) and the Dodge is going to take all its customers.... In short, this flop was to be expected. Don't tell me it wasn't done on purpose, because you'd have had to be really thick to believe the opposite, whereas under Abarth, it would have stayed in Europe and South America, and then it would have worked.
I don't quite understand the comparison with Abarth. The sound of the Tonale's engine doesn't really resemble that of an Abarth.
The disadvantage of the Tonale over the Hornet is that the Hornet offers two engines of almost equivalent power, including a 2.0 internal combustion engine, and is less expensive.
The Tonale, with its single, no-more-powerful PHEV, brings only its Alfa Romeo badge.
The displacement of the Abarths is 1.4 Turbo, here we're on a 1.3 and Peugeot on a 1.6 (look for the mistake), and a 313hp BMW X1 then the 272hp of the Tonale, the interior which goes downmarket compared to the Giulia... you can't say that this is adequate in an Alfa or you'd have to install the Ghibli's 4-cylinder PHEV for it to make sense.
So to believe that this kind of product is going to overshadow the BMW or Dodge.... You either have to be dreaming straight or have a bit of a twisted mind made in Stellantis.
The Tonale PHEV makes 280 hp, which isn't far off the X1's 313 hp. In any case, for this kind of car, customers are more attracted by German tanks.
I've sat in Tonales several times, and I don't think it's poorly finished at all, on the contrary. Then again, maybe the Giulia is a bit better in terms of finish.
However, I agree that the more expensive Tonale has no reason to overshadow the Dodge Hornet, and that a more powerful engine would be welcome.
From what we can read, it's the Dodge that makes 268hp for the GT and 288hp for the R/T. The Tonale makes 275hp, and not from a 2.0 like the Dodge, but from a 1.3. The gearbox has 9 gears on the Dodge and 6 on the Alfa. Not only should the Tonale's quality be improved, but so should the 330hp L4 2.0 hybrid, if people in the USA are really interested in the Tonale.
Not to mention those who won't hesitate to buy the Dodge car Thermique simple and have it prepared by Hennessey or others!
In short, without the 4-cylinder Maserati, the Tonale will never stand a chance against the Hornet.
People don't particularly prefer Germans (far from it), but when a benchmark like the Stelvio or Giulia is released, you expect the Tonale to do the same, and then... you miss out, because the Dodge alone is a notch above the rest!
The Hornet is a step up, as it offers a choice of two engines, instead of just one for the Tonale imported to the USA.
What's more, the Hornet is made in the same factory in Italy, and offering the same 2.0 4-cylinder engine on the Tonale (and adding a little power), or another available engine, would no doubt be very simple for Alfa Romeo.
The Hornet and Tonale are the same car, except for a few details, such as the grille, badges and a few finishing touches.
The choice of engines is greater on the Hornet, while only the PHEV model is imported into the USA. What's more, the Hornet is less expensive. If I lived in North America, and wanted to buy this kind of car, I think I'd rather buy the Hornet. The Alfa Romeo badge for an almost identical car is not necessarily justified.
The bullshit continues:
https://www.caradisiac.com/stellantis-devient-actionnaire-de-leapmotor-et-va-vendre-ses-voitures-chinoises-en-europe-205208.htm
You have to be a little sensitive to the beauty of the Leapmotor T03. That's if they don't win the automotive design award!
They've already drawn inspiration from the Fiat 500's headlights.
Stanislas
Don't you think the 1.5 billion could have been invested elsewhere?
I don't know, I'm not very interested in electric garbage cans made in China.
In fact, investing 1.5 billion in this area is utter bullshit! They would have been better off investing it in Chrysler, which is in its death throes, and would have helped relaunch the brand in the U.S. using Jeep products with the latest Cherokee (turning it into an SUV) or installing it in Dodge, Alfa or Lancia.