The upcoming 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale will be the last gas-powered Alfa Romeo to appear in the United States.
Vincent Noirbent, vice president of marketing and product for Alfa Romeo North America, told a press conference late yesterday that the company will only introduce new electric vehicles (EVs) once the Tonale makes its debut.
The news is hardly a shock, since the company told investors last year it would go all-electric in the U.S. by 2027.
But Alfa has some catching up to do if it’s going to meet that deadline. It doesn’t yet offer an electric model in the U.S. Here, it offers just the Giulia sport sedan and Stelvio SUV, both offered with a choice of a 280-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine or a 505-horsepower turbocharged V6.
The Tonale will offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain that pairs a turbocharged 1.3-liter 4-cylinder with a 15.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a 90-kW electric motor driving the rear axle. It has a near-twin in the upcoming 2023 Dodge Hornet.
The company will likely continue to sell all three models for several years as it transitions to their electric replacements.
Alfa dealers have a small lineup to offer and a lot of cars on lots awaiting buyers. The brand ended November with a 102-day supply of new cars available for sale — the longest in the industry.
That has led dealers to offer unusual incentives in an attempt to sell cars. At a time when discounts are rare, Alfa Romeo dealers offered an average incentive of $3,684 per sale in November. That’s the highest figure in the auto industry, making it easier to find a deal on an Alfa Romeo than a car from any other brand.
