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Alfa Romeo is known for sleek sports cars, compact hatchbacks and sporty sedans, so why is its first electric car a small SUV?
The Italian carmaker recently launched the Junior sub-compact SUV as its first dedicated electric car and it’s set to go on sale in Europe imminently, ahead of an Australian debut in 2025.
When asked if it was always the plan for Alfa’s first EV to be this sort of model and not something more traditional like a sedan, Alfa Romeo Head of Products Daniel Guzzafame said “it was always going to be like a very small SUV”.
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Guzzafame added that the Junior acts as a substitute of sorts for previous smaller models in Alfa’s line-up that have been discontinued, specifically the MiTo and Giulietta hatchbacks.
“We didn't have the slightest doubt because, as I said, it was going to be substitution. And this was the perfect application to be substituted,” he said at the Junior first drive in Italy.
He went on to say that beyond the Junior, more future Alfa Romeo EVs like the next-gen Stelvio SUV and Giulia sedan will have a very different application.
“We had a very clear picture about this and then, with much different technology, we will go into renovating the D segment. Again, because that makes perfect sense from a technology standpoint in terms of substitution, offering the right range, offering the right technology, the right speed of charge, plus something else.
“And on the other side also it matches with the trends that we have on the market globally. Europe is … pushing ahead on electric cars and of course compact cars are, in Europe, the biggest market, so that matches. And then of course, for all of the other countries, the most valuable will be the Stelvio, the Giulia.”
As reported, the next EV in Alfa’s stable will be the second-generation Stelvio launching in 2025, followed by the Giulia in 2026. This will be followed by a mystery EV in 2027, but that is believed to be a larger SUV to sit above the Stelvio.
Alfa Romeo has previously announced that it will transition to be an EV-only brand from 2027 onwards.
Alfa’s first plug-in hybrid model is the Tonale small SUV that launched in Australia last year. It is based on a Stellantis platform shared with the Jeep Compass and other models but it is not geared up for full battery electric propulsion - yet.
When asked about the future of the Tonale beyond the transition to EVs in 2027, Guzzafame said “it doesn't mean that in 27 the world ends”, adding that there is a chance the Tonale could go electric.
“We have technically the possibility to install something electric on Tonale. Everything is always possible. Technically that's the reality. It just depends whether it is worth it from a business standpoint.
“Whatever it is, be it electric, be it going up or down, whatever. We will see whether it is the right thing to update that, to go for a next gen immediately, to keep maybe the engine in parallel to something new. But we still have one or two years to decide on that.”
