AutoNews: Alfa Romeo Tonale delayed due to poor performance

According to a story in today’s Automotive News, the compact Alfa Romeo Tonale crossover is being delayed because the hybrid powertrain could not even get the power and range of a far cheaper Peugeot 3008.

Alfa Romeo is being presented as a premium brand, above Dodge or Chrysler, and comparable to BMW. The Tonale, as planned for production this year, had a plug-in hybrid powertrain from the new Jeep Compass. This has a 30 mile electric-only range, and 190 or 240 horsepower, using a turbocharged 1.3 liter corporate engine with a 60-hp electric motor on the rear axle.

1968-Alfa-StradaleAlfa Romeo’s 1968 33 Stradale’s swoopy body

The plug-in hybrid version of the Peugeot 3008, on the other hand, has a 1.6 liter engine, with 200 horsepower, coupled to an 81-kW front and 83-kW rear motor, with combined output of 300 horsepower. It can run up to 37 miles off the battery alone, though the battery is just 1.8 kW more powerful than the one in the Compass. Fuel economy of the Peugeot is greater than that of the Compass as well.

The Tonale, which will only be Alfa Romeo’s third car (the others are Stelvio and Giulia), will be delayed until 2022. The Stelvio dates back to 2016; the Giulia is older. The front-drive Giulietta was dropped late last year.  Another planned car for Alfa Romeo has reportedly been shifted to Maserati, where it is called the MC20.

Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Jeep are all getting a Peugeot-CMP-based small crossover, with the Alfa Romeo version set to arrive in 2023. The original plan for Alfa Romeo had eight cars—in 2018. The brand currently sells two cars, rising to four when the new Peugeot-based crossover arrives in 2023.

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