“Unacceptable performance” pushes Alfa Romeo Tonale back

Alfa Romeo’s delayed small SUV, the Tonale, has faced yet another hurdle that will reportedly push its debuted back by another three months.

Supposedly earmarked for unveiling in September this year with production starting two months later, Automotive News Europe, based on an unnamed source, reports that new Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato, has expressed dissatisfaction about the plug-in hybrid model performance.

According to the source, the former PSA-era Peugeot boss, who became Alfa’s new head in January following the merger with Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to create Stellantis, “demand” an uptake in grunt, although how much was not disclosed.

RELATED: Production Alfa Romeo Tonale could show itself in September

With it being reported last year that a mild-hybrid version of the Tonale would be produced with a reported 243 kW, the plug-in hybrid is likely to be more powerful Stellantis’ current PHEV models; the Jeep Compass 4xe that makes 177 kW in its most potent form thanks to an electrified 1.3 Firefly petrol, and the dual-motor 1.6 PureTech that pumps out 224 kW in the Peugeot 5008 and Opel Grandland X.

As is already known, a Quadrifoglio Verde (QV) version will not be produced when production eventually kicks-off at the Pomigliano d’Arco Plant in Naples. Sales therefore are expected to take place in 2022, but chances are more details could emerge before then.