FIAT AND ALFA ROMEO INSIGHT
2 1 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 61
FRONT VIEW
“The objective is not to
make a brick. This is about
agility, lightness, sportiness.
It looks tucked in below,” says
Liokis of the Tonale’s sills
and valances, which give
it an athletic look.
HEADLIGHTS
The 1980s Zagato-
designed Alfa SZ started
Alfa’s triple headlight pairing
theme, with the 159, Brera,
Giulia and Tonale continuing it.
The production version “will
be less conceptual”, says
design boss Scott
Krugger.
reckoning that the Tonale “is pure
in a time of hyper-design”, a perhaps
euphemistic reference to the busy
designs of some rivals. Which Alfa
Romeo must get out and compete
with, because it certainly needs
this car. Its European sales have
dropped precipitously during the
first five months of this year, from
41,646 to 24,252, and US sales are
down by a quarter.
The Tonale, which will compete in
one of the market’s hottest segments,
was only born as a concept last
November, appearing at the Geneva
show i n Ma r c h. T he r e a l t h i n g
will share a platform with the
Jeep Renegade, both vehiclesto offer a plug-in hybrid
option. It’s not yet clear
whether this is an all-new
platform or a modification
of the existing one. Either
w ay, A l f a w i l l ne e d t o w ork
h a rd t o de v e lop w h at i s
fundamentally a front-drive
SU V pl at for m t o c omple me nt t he
high standards set by the Giulia
and Stelvio, which benefit from
their own bespoke Alfa Romeo
architecture.
“We have a dynamics team
and they understand what an
Alfa should be,” says Krugger by
w ay of r e a s s u r a nc e. T h at it w i l l
also come as a plug-in hybrid,
triggering Alfa Romeo’s transition to
still potent but greener powertrains,
should add spice to this stylishly
desirable compact SUV. It can’t
come soon enough. L
REAR VIEW
“We want to make a
C- U V th a t ’s exc i ti n g fo r
Alfisti. This is more of a
coupé,” says Liokis. “If
you get close to the rear,
it could be an 8C.”
D-PILLAR
“We thought about a
more provocative D-pillar
feature,” says Busse, “byseparating the roof and the
pillar with a colour insert. But
we held each other back
and did it with sculpture
instead and kept it
pure.”