Alfa Romeo Junior News

Alfa Romeo says its quality and reliabilty on the Tonale small SUV is "far ahead" of its German rivals in BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

Alfa Romeo has finally launched the entry-level Junior crossover SUV in Australia and it’s only being offered in a single mild-hybrid and electric trim at launch.

The tiny Alfa Romeo Junior arrived in Australia a few months ago but the company has confirmed it’s not going to give it a fire-breathing performance flagship for now.While there’s the hot-looking Elettrica Veloce trim available in other markets, the Italian carmaker said a Quadrifoglio (also referred to as QV) version has been considered for the Junior.However, speaking with Australian media, including CarsGuide, Alfa Romeo Head of Product Mario Lamagna said the QV badge will remain for the larger models, including the Giulia and Stelvio, for the time being.“QV is a really serious thing in Alfa,” said Lamagna.“We study… if an Alfa can be a QV. We take it very seriously.“There are many different… characteristics that an Alfa needs to respect to be called a QV.“We thought about that , but for the moment, with the technologies that we have, we didn’t believe there was a powertrain that was the right one to be called the Quadrifoglio for the Junior.“And also in this segment you have to be very careful with what you do, because, again, Quadrifoglio is very strong high-performance label.“The decision we took was to protect it and to keep it for… the higher segments.“I will never say no to QV in any model, but it is something that has to be studied because QV means serious stuff,” he said.The two current Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio models, the Giulia and Stelvio QV, are both powered by a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 engine with 375kW and 600Nm.All QV models have been powered by pure internal-combustion engines to date, but Lamagna explained as emission regulations crunch it’s getting harder to develop and launch these kinds of models.As a result, the company is open to exploring hybrid and electric QV models.“We of course love thermal engines and we are in love with our V6s,” said Lamagna.“So we are, for sure, looking always at thermal engines. But with the future technologies, you can do a lot of interesting stuff, also with electric powertrains.“The point is that it really depends on the actual performance of the car. If you are able to do something that drives well and kicks in, very nice. I am open to both .“It’s very hard then to what you can do at the end because thermal engines have a lot of concerns with CO2 emissions.“We have a lot of regulation in Europe and for also on your side.“So it’s not easy to develop and to launch high-performance engines in the second part of this decade,” he added.The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica is the Italian carmaker’s first electric vehicle (EV). It’s currently priced from $57,900, before on-road costs, in Australia, which is $12,000 more than the Ibrida mild-hybrid version.As noted above, the hot-looking Junior Elettrica Veloce is available overseas. For now it’s unclear whether it will come to Australia.It’s technically the most powerful variant in the line-up, packing a single, front-mounted electric motor producing 207kW/345Nm.For context, the regular Junior Elettrica produces 115kW/260Nm and the Junior Ibrida delivers 100kW/230Nm.

Alfa Romeo is about to start deliveries of its first electric vehicle (EV) in Australia though it expects the hybrid version will outsell it.The Alfa Romeo Junior is the smallest car from the Italian carmaker since the tiny MiTo and Giulietta hatchbacks and locally it’s being offered with both mild-hybrid and all-electric powertrains.“We do foresee … the mild-hybrid is probably going to be the higher mix out of the two,” said Stellantis Australia Product Manager Bridget Thomson to CarsGuide.“ giving the options for people on both stages of their electrification journey. So probably more of the Ibrida (mild-hybrid), but definitely not discounting the Elettrica (electric).”Earlier this month Alfa Romeo confirmed the pricing and specifications for the local Junior line-up.While there are two powertrain options being offered, both are only available in a single, fully-loaded trim level.The Junior Ibrida (mild-hybrid) starts from $45,900 before on-roads costs, while the Junior Elettrica (electric) starts from $57,900 before on-road costs.In Ibrida form, the Junior is powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine running the Miller cycle which is augmented by a 48V mild-hybrid system featuring a 21kW electric motor integrated into the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.Total system outputs are 107kW of power and 230Nm of torque. Alfa Romeo claims it can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.9 seconds and the top speed is 206km/h.The Junior Elettrica, on the other hand, is powered by a single, front-mounted electric motor producing 115kW of power and 260Nm of torque.Despite having more power and torque, it’s 0.1 seconds slower to 100km/h than the mild-hybrid version. It takes 9.0 seconds.The electric motor is fed by a 54kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which allows for a claimed 407km of range, according to WLTP testing.The battery pack can be DC fast-charged at rates up to 100kW, which allows for a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes.As noted above, the Junior Ibrida and Elettrica are both fully loaded and share the exact same standard specifications.The only differences with the former is it has visible dual exhaust tailpipes and paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. The latter also picks up a Mode 3 AC charging cable as standard.Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, matrix LED headlights, the 'Leggenda Scudetto' front grille, LED tail lights, two-tone black roof, hands-free power tailgate, dual 10.25-inch screens, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six-speaker sound system, wireless charger, black cloth and synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats, and a six-way power adjustable driver’s seat.The only option beyond premium paint is a sunroof which costs an additional $1990.Alfa Romeo has been experiencing a sales slump in Australia so far in 2025. A total of 282 vehicles were sold in the first six months, down 24.0 per cent year-on-year.

Alfa Romeo has detailed the pricing and specifications of its new entry-level Junior small SUV ahead of deliveries commencing this month.The 2026 Alfa Romeo Junior will be offered locally with both mild-hybrid and electric powertrains in Australia. Both are launching in a single, fully-loaded trim level.The Junior Ibrida (hybrid) starts from $45,900 before on-road costs, while the Junior Elettrica (electric) starts from $57,900 before on-road costs. A full pricing table is at the bottom of this story.In Ibrida form, the Junior is powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine running the Miller cycle that’s augmented by a 48V mild-hybrid system which features a 21kW electric motor that’s integrated into the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.Total system outputs are 107kW of power and 230Nm of torque. Alfa Romeo claims it can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.9 seconds and the top speed is 206km/h.The Junior Elettrica, on the other hand, is powered by a single, front-mounted electric motor producing 115kW of power and 260Nm of torque.Despite having more power and torque, it’s 0.1 seconds slower to 100km/h than the mild-hybrid version. It takes 9.0 seconds. The electric motor is fed by a 54kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which allows for a claimed 407km of range, according to WLTP testing.The battery pack can be DC fast-charged at rates up to 100kW, which allows for a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes. As noted above, the Junior Ibrida and Elettrica share the exact same standard specifications.The only difference with the former is it has dual exhaust tailpipes and paddle shifters. The latter also picks up a Mode 3 charge cable as standard.Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, matrix LED headlights, “Leggenda Scudetto” front grille, LED tail lights, two-tone black roof, hands-free power tailgate, dual 10.25-inch screens, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six-speaker sound system, wireless charger, black cloth and synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats, and a six-way power adjustable driver’s seat.A sunroof is available for an extra $1990. On the safety front there are six airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, reverse camera, as well as front, side and rear parking sensors.Six exterior colours are available – White Sempione, Black Tortona, Red Brera, Blue Navigli, Arese Steel and Galleria Light Grey. Premium paint costs an extra $1990.

Australia’s premium small SUV hybrid class is about to experience a shake-up with the arrival of the Alfa Romeo Junior.

Alfa Romeo is known for sleek sports cars, compact hatchbacks and sporty sedans, so why is its first electric car a small SUV?

Alfa Romeo’s smallest model since the MiTo hatchback is also one of its most crucial.To make sure it stacks up, Alfa’s engineering team benchmarked the Junior against some interesting competitors during development.The sub-compact SUV will be offered in hybrid and electric guise in Europe in the coming months and the electric - or Elettrica - version has been locked in for an Australian debut at some point in 2025.The flagship of the range is the sporty Junior Elettrica Veloce, which we recently drove at the international launch in Italy.Speaking with Australian journalists at the international first drive, Alfa Romeo Head of Products Daniel Guzzafame said there were a range of different models that Alfa used to benchmark the Junior, and those models varied depending on the Junior’s powertrain and grade.“So for some performance is mainly the comfort. The Volvo is the right competitor so we compared that to the EX30 on that. But Volvo driving dynamics is not the right competitor. It would be too easy to say we are better than Volvo, okay. So I have the feeling of driving the XC40, it's like being on a truck. I love the car (XC40) but it's just not the intent,” he said.“So we took other references for that, so low-speed handling and dynamics it's the Mini, and high speed in electric there was not really much so we tested the BMW i4 and the Ioniq 5 N for the handling.“But again, that's because the reality is that there is not really something that can compare. And we were wanting to do something that was different from anything that was on the market. So it was not easy to get something really one-to-one compare.”While the Volvo and Mini were to be expected, the BMW i4 was a surprise.All Elettrica grades come with a 54kWh battery and the base Elettrica delivers 115kW/260Nm, while the Veloce pumps out 207kW/345Nm. The driving range is 410km and 334km respectively.The engineers focussed on injecting Alfa Romeo DNA into the Junior, ensuring it has Alfa’s light and direct steering, and handling prowess thanks to a sporty suspension setup, a mechanical self-locking differential as well as front and rear anti roll bars and sportier brakes.The Junior has a lot of weight on its sculpted shoulders as it is tasked with driving sales in Europe and in many global markets. It will not, however, be offered in the United States as it is seen as too small and niche for that market.In Australia it will face competition from rivals like the Lexus LBX, as well as a pair of models - the Peugeot E-2008 and incoming Jeep Avenger - that both share the same eCMP Stellantis platform as the Junior.When asked if the Junior had the potential to be Alfa’s best-selling model globally, Guzzafame said: “In terms of global sales, we'll see,” he said. “It will depend on the weight of Europe versus the rest of the world. If I look at today's line-up, next year, probably it will be, but it's also because we have a range to be renovated and in different countries that will need to start so next year probably the weight of Europe will be higher because of this model. And so if it's not going to be the most sold, it will be for sure at par with the others.”He added that other upcoming new Alfa Romeo models have the potential to be global best sellers, but that the Junior would top the brand’s tally in Europe given the continent’s preference for small, efficient cars.Other Alfa models on the horizon include the next-gen Stelvio next year, the next-gen Giulia in 2026 and then a yet-to-be revealed model that is expected to be larger than the Stelvio.

Alfa Romeo has revised details of the Veloce version of its Junior small SUV.It is the new pure electric halo for the Audi Q2, Mercedes-Benz EQA, BMW X2 and Lexus LBX rival.The Italian marque has upped power from an initial 180kW rating to 207kW while torque sits at 345Nm from the single front-mounted electric motor.Choosing the 207kW figure was no accident, with the Junior small SUV's outputs then matching Veloce versions of the Giulia sedan and Stelvio medium SUV.Along with 27kW more power, Alfa has retuned the Junior Veloce's chassis, adding sharper steering, 25mm lower springs and firmer anti-roll bars.No stopping there. The Veloce also features larger 380mm front brake rotors clamped by four-piston brake calipers, a Torsen locking differential OEM-tweaked tyres fitted to 20-inch alloy wheels.Alfa says the same teams that worked on the Audi RS4, BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63-rivalling Giulia Quadrifoglio sports sedan have been involved in the process.This is not a full-fat Quadrifoglio version of the Junior, though. There have been no announcements of that nature.Underneath the Junior's sharply-styled bodywork sits a 54kWh battery pack – identical to the Peugeot E-2008 and Jeep Avenger with which it shares its 'Common Modular Platform' (CMP) – giving it a circa-410km driving range.Fast-charging is capped at 100kW (DC) for sub-30 minute 10-80 per cent recuperation.A petrol-electric hybrid version producing 100kW is also part of the range along with a detuned 116kW electric version.The Junior – previously known as Milano – is expected in Australia in the second half of 2025. Full pricing and detailed specifications will become available closer to the Junior's release.

Alfa Romeo’s resurgence is almost complete as the Italian brand prepares to add a fifth model to its line-up.The carmaker is weighing up two options at polar opposite ends of the market according to UK publication Autocar.The two models on the table are a large SUV to rival the Porsche Cayenne or a small hatchback to go back to Alfa Romeo’s roots.Alfa Romeo chief Jean-Philippe Imparato told Autocar: “The question is do we go up ? And for me the answer is yes: we have to go up.”“The alternative is to go back to a C-hatch, because we have everything – the compact, saloon, C-SUV, D-SUV. So the question is: up or down?” he said.The popularity of large SUVs in major markets such as the US and China will likely mean Alfa Romeo will go down that route.It recently revealed the Junior, a pint-sized SUV, that should appease European tastes for smaller vehicles. The mooted large SUV could share similar styling to the new Junior SUV, too.This will join the Tonale compact SUV, Stelvio mid-size SUV and the Giulia mid-size sedan in the brand’s rejuvenated range.Imparato hinted a large SUV could be revealed as soon as 2027 if the brand decided to go down that path.It’s likely this car would be electric, considering the brand has committed to going EV-only by 2027, which is when this new vehicle is due to arrive.Details are scarce but there are hints at what could be underneath the electric large Alfa SUV.Alfa Romeo and Jeep are owned by Stellantis, and the American brand recently revealed its Wagoneer S built on the company’s “STLA Large” platform that would underpin the Alfa Romeo.The Wagoneer S is promising in excess of 480km electric driving range from a 100kWh battery pack.Dual electric motors produce 448kW and 837Nm and it can complete the benchmark 0-100km/h sprint in about 3.4 seconds.