Alfa Romeo delays the launch of the Alfa Romeo Tonale, its upcoming hybrid SUV

It was a few years ago when Alfa Romeo surprised the world with a major overhaul of its model range, involving the Giulia and Stelvio. Some time later, and given the success of its two new members, the Italian brand struck another blow with the Alfa Romeo Tonale, a concept car that previewed a compact SUV ready to continue the revolution. However, the future of Alfa Romeo became somewhat uncertain after FCA became part of PSA, now Stellantis, the group that is pressing ahead with the Tonale.

This new consortium, made up of several Italian and French brands, has a very clear objective: to give prominence to electric mobility. Bearing in mind that some of its subsidiaries already have modular platforms adapted to accommodate both electric and hybrid powertrains, it was to be expected that the Tonale would take advantage of them.

However, a last-minute change of plans has caused the development of the hybrid SUV to be slightly delayed. Its launch was scheduled for November of this year, but the brand’s CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato, appears to have decided to halt the process because of a number of details he was not happy with, according to Automotive News.

It seems that the head of Alfa Romeo is not satisfied with the expected performance of the Tonale, a model that, let us remember, will share its platform with the Jeep Compass. The American SUV already has plug-in hybrid versions in its range which, by pairing an electric motor with a four-cylinder combustion engine, deliver outputs of 190 and 240 CV with ranges of 49 and 47 kilometres respectively.

One of the reasons that may have prompted this decision is the wish to position Alfa Romeo a step above other Stellantis subsidiaries, which would explain a demand like Imparato’s. With this premise, the Italian brand may end up using another platform and, therefore, another mechanical layout capable of delivering more power, such as those used by Peugeot.

Another reason why the unveiling of the Alfa Romeo Tonale has been slowed down is its range, which would imply fitting a larger-capacity battery. Be that as it may, everything points to us not seeing Alfa Romeo’s compact SUV until early 2022 at the very least.