Alfa Romeo last June announced plans for a compact crossover SUV and at this week's 2019 Geneva International Motor Show we got a preview in the form of the Alfa Romeo Tonale concept.
Alfa Romeo is committed to launching the production version of the Tonale some time before the end of 2022, and Autocar reported Tuesday that it might arrive as early as next year.
The automaker is counting on the Tonale to significantly boost sales, which last year totaled only around 150,000 units.
Alfa Romeo Tonale concept
“We expect the Tonale to become our best-selling car,” Alfa Romeo's European chief, Roberta Zerbi, told Autocar. The company is targeting annual sales of 400,000 units, she added.
Alfa Romeo will build the Tonale at Fiat Chrysler Automobile's plant in Pomigliano, Italy, whose sole vehicle at present is the Fiat Panda subcompact SUV. It will be based on the platform found in Jeep's Compass and Renegade, Pietro Gorlier, FCA's chief operating officer for Europe and emerging markets, confirmed last November, and a plug-in hybrid option is planned.
The Tonale is one of two new crossovers Alfa Romeo will launch by the end of 2022. Another is a mid-size model. It will likely be based on a stretched version of the platform found in the Stelvio.
