L'Alfa Romeo Tonale is probably in the final year of its career. The Milanese manufacturer's compact SUV has recently benefited from a number of upgrades to remain competitive in a particularly competitive market, Stellantis has already set a date for the end of its industrial adventure. According to our information, Tonale production at the Pomigliano d'Arco plant will cease next year. This may seem a long way off, but it marks the beginning of a new phase for the company. Alfa Romeo and its SUV range.
A relatively short career for Alfa Romeo's first electrified SUV
Officially presented in February 2022, the Alfa Romeo Tonale will ultimately have a career spanning just over five years. A relatively short cycle for such a strategic model, since it represented the Italian brand's first electrified compact SUV and was intended to enable Alfa Romeo to win over a new audience.
Despite a recent restyling and various improvements designed to enhance its appeal in the face of ever-increasing competition, the Tonale's fate now seems sealed. Production of the SUV will cease at Pomigliano d'Arco in November 2027, making way for an entirely new model... at another plant.
This information also confirms an important point: contrary to recent expectations, the future C-segment SUV will not cohabit with the Tonale for several years. It will take over directly from it.
The A4U project becomes a reality
The other major lesson concerns the famous in-house project known by the code name «A4U». Long mentioned in Stellantis planning documents, this new C-segment SUV has now been officially confirmed by the Group.
Positioned at the heart of the European market, this future model will be based on the STLA Medium platform and produced at the Melfi plant, alongside the Lancia Gamma. Its dimensions will be significantly greater than those of the current Tonale, with an announced length of over 4.60 meters. It will thus be closer to the current Stelvio than to the Tonale MY26. The new SUV will be offered with a range of powertrains, from hybrid to 1000 % electric.
Replacement rather than coexistence
Confirmation that the Tonale will cease production in November 2027 clarifies Stellantis' industrial strategy. The future A4U SUV produced at Melfi will directly replace the Tonale produced at Pomigliano d'Arco. The decision also reflects Alfa Romeo's evolving positioning. The future model will be larger, more premium and should offer a higher level of performance, particularly in terms of perceived quality.
The Group also seems to have learned some lessons from recent years. While the all-electric strategy seemed inevitable just a few years ago, the choice of a platform capable of accommodating several types of powertrain demonstrates a desire to adapt more closely to market realities and customer expectations. To find out, just look at the Lancia Gamma and DS N°8.
Finally, the product plan is respected
This announcement is also interesting when compared with the planning documents that we were able to consult at the beginning of 2024.
Looking at the projects now confirmed, we can see that the broad outlines of the original plan are still valid. After the launch of the Junior, Alfa Romeo is preparing a new C-segment SUV for 2027 to replace the Tonale. At the same time, the brand is still working on the a compact sedan to succeed the Giulietta and the 147.
While some programs have fallen behind schedule, notably the future generations of the Giulia and Stelvio, the strategy for renewing the core range seems to be following the timetable devised several years ago.
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Stellantis' decisions are hard to follow. Why such a short career? Sales are disappointing, but the Tonale isn't a bad car; on the contrary, it's more than a match for its competitors.
It's too expensive and not necessarily up to scratch. I asked to lease a Tonale PHEV and got an offer at €1,100 a month. The best prices are for MHEVs.
Stanislas, it seems to me that you've never seen a test!?
Too heavy, too clumsy, too expensive... On an old base... FCA!
What's more, it's unreliable and dangerous.
Finally, it appeals to anti-Stellantis trolls.
Ah the tests.......in which rag? It seems the journalists didn't have a good trip, courtesy of the manufacturer!
For the record, the platform isn't that old because it was developed to evolve with the new models planned, and as for reliability, as a mechanic I do more maintenance than repairs on Italian cars, unlike VW or BMWs........
Having tested the Tonale, the first version, and the new version, having owned a Giulia and having also driven a BMW, I think I can say that the Tonale is not a bad car, just that the PHEV version would have been better as an HEV because the range is too small and, above all, it's much too expensive. I asked for a leasing offer and it's 1100 € / month for a Tonale PHEV. I'm not looking, there's better and cheaper elsewhere.
«Perhaps not enough for a discerning premium clientele, who will find the X1 to be a better-executed vehicle overall, with a very well-designed interior and a significantly higher level of comfort.»
©Fabrice Bolusset
cars and motorcycles
«The Tonale falls short where fans expect it most: driving pleasure!»
Car Journal
The Junior's reliability is just like its interior… deplorable.
(Vehicle specifications:)
This vehicle is so dangerous that there is a constant risk of fire on the Junior:
(Motorsports)
Alfa had never fallen so low since the Arna, but it was reliable
(Evo)
Disguising a PSA junk car as an Alfa won't turn it into a race car—it'll just ruin the brand, because PSA is the champion, and the results with Simca speak for themselves!
(Cartoon).
Not only have I seen the tests, I've even driven it. SUVs aren't my thing, but I can't see how the Tonale would be any worse than a BMW X1 or an Audi Q3. The Tonale doesn't have the dynamism of a Giulia, that's obvious, but it's a good car in its class.
I currently drive a well-equipped iX1, and it's cheaper than the Alfa ROmeo! BMW is better... So the Tonale has to be cheaper.
Maybe. Well, it depends on the BMW model.
I had an i4, I would have liked to have an equivalent electric giulia, now I have an ix1 and well... I'm not talking about looks, but in terms of equipment/price/finish ratio, it's better than the Tonale. On the other hand, it's not sporty.
Except that the interior of the BMW X1 isn't exactly top-notch, with its cheap-feeling plastics and the rattling noises it makes as soon as you hit the road—and as for the brakes… they're nothing to write home about.
But what a complete liar—it’s actually the Junior model that’s low-end, with zero reliability, an archaic platform, and as for being dangerous, it’s just like the PSAs, which would be better off being sold for a symbolic €1 to the Chinese, who don’t want them anyway (and rightly so)!
The Tonale is a cut above; it holds its own, it’s reliable, and it has a modern platform—unlike the Junior, which dates back to the Stone Age.
In short, on one hand, a Tonale that does its job, and on the other, a stinking wheelbarrow that’s already sinking.
Anything related to PSA ends up in the scrapyard anyway, and only blind, ultra-nationalist French trolls 🧌 believe that PSA knows how to make cars when they’re really just trash in disguise!
Alfa Romeo doesn’t sell enough in the state to make it worth shipping cars there. They’ve tried several times over the decades and failed.
1.2 3 cylinder 145HP engine FWD 1850kg ton SUV! And 350HP electric Quadrifoglio version in 2150kg ton SUV! And don't forget 190km/h top speed!
In my opinion and I hope that the new Tonale will keep the new evolution of the 1.5 l Firefly Hybrid Hev , the 1.6 Mjtd Hybrid and then the 1.6 l Plug-in Hybrid .
These will be the engines powering the Lancia Gamma, the DS N°7, the Peugeot 3008... with the 1.2L less for the Alfa Romeo.
Which ones? I'm not sure if I understood you.
Well, the 1.6 PHEVs with 195 hp
and EVs with 210, 230, and 325 hp (all-wheel drive)
That sounds pretty good at first glance!
Above all, it’s impossible to make them reliable, and these 1.2- and 1.6-liter PSA engines are such well-known pieces of junk—and rightly so—that putting this kind of engine in an Alfa, Lancia, Citroën, Fiat, or Abarth would sink those brands—and sales figures prove it!
PSA is just like their WEC hypercar—a total piece of junk!
The 325 hp figure has never been achieved, as demonstrated by Sport Auto’s bench tests, but some people are deaf to the facts and blinded by their delusional ideology—which doesn’t stop Renault from shamelessly crushing PSA without even breaking a sweat.
This 1.6-liter engine was originally developed in collaboration with BMW in the late 2000s. From the outset, it was designed with a timing belt and is not configured like the 1.2-liter engine. It delivered up to 270 horsepower in the 308 GTI. It evolved and became more reliable before transitioning to a plug-in hybrid. The 1.2-liter engine was completely redesigned.
Giulietta substitute will be a crossover, not a classic hatchback or sedan. Just look athe future Dodge GLH or next gen Opel Astra.
Tonale II on STLA M and wide choice of powertrains? Really?!
God help them if they intend to sell in the USA.
As we know STLA M is so good and so versatile that US plans for Jeep Compass on it have been scrapped and US Compass will debut on the STLA One from a get go.
Similar with South America. Their locally produced models will skip STLA M altogether and should go directly to a STLA One.
Since the electric version of the Dodge Charger is coming to Europe, it would be a good idea to use this technical base. It's more appealing than a clone of the new STELA one platform, which is going to multiply like wildfire.
Clones of ds8 ds7 Lancia gamma,3008 C5 aircross jeep Compass future alfa and future Chrysler...
The electric Charger isn't selling very well here at all, so it's clear that Stellantis is trying to recoup its development costs.
Yes, that's true, but you also have the latest high-performance six-cylinder engine. You have a Stellantis platform designed specifically for large, high-end vehicles.
Above all, you've gone back to the V8 HEMI.
Just look at what we’ve been reduced to in Europe.
It might have been okay in the Junior, but in a relatively large SUV, being powered by a 1.6L Peugeot engine just isn't exactly thrilling.
After the 308 GTI and the RCZ were equipped with this 1.6-liter engine in a 270-horsepower version, but they lack the refinement of a BUSSO six-cylinder engine.
But Stellantis prefers an electric motor with a Chinese battery...
Instead of taking the opposite approach to European automakers’ backtracking on electric vehicles, Stellantis is mindlessly following its competitors down the same strategic path, which is driving customers away. Meanwhile, electric vehicle sales in France account for 30% of total sales, as they do elsewhere in Europe, and Tesla is selling like hotcakes, while the Chinese will snap up the rest. All that’s left is to place our bets: who will survive? Stellantis, BMW, VW, Mercedes, or Renault?
Renault will survive because it has had an electric vehicle strategy from the very beginning and hasn’t changed course. Stellantis has remained a follower, like the opportunist in Dutronc’s song. Volkswagen has relied too heavily on China, just as BMW and Mercedes are being left behind and losing out big time.
Man, Scudric is one hell of a troll!!! 😮