Alfa Romeo Tonale: PHEV version will be the only one offered (but not in Canada)

• Only the plug-in hybrid version of the new 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale will be offered

• This PHEV version will offer approximately 48 kilometres of range according to initial information

• The Tonale PHEV will offer 275 horsepower

Electrification is booming at Alfa Romeo, according to the brand’s CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato. Indeed, Imparato said at the Tonale launch earlier this week that the U.S. division will stick to one and only version of the subcompact crossover.

This means that the model equipped with the 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine will not be offered in the U.S., but it appears that Canada will be getting both versions, as FCA Canada has just confirmed the latter. This version of the car is rated at 256 horsepower and is equipped with a nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive as standard.

275 horsepower and 48 kilometres of range for the Tonale PHEV

The only drivetrain available for the small crossover will be the plug-in hybrid option, the Tonale PHEV, which fortunately leaves the factory with 275 horsepower, thanks to the combined work of a small 1.3-litre 4-cylinder engine delivering 177 horsepower and a second motor, electric this time, with 122 horsepower. In this case, the gearbox is a six-speed automatic unit and all-wheel drive is also standard.

On the other hand, the Tonale’s non-identical cousin, the Dodge Hornet, will be offered in the two configurations initially planned, the turbocharged version without electrification and the other, plug-in hybrid, which is more powerful than the base version, in addition to offering an estimated electric range of over 48 km.

This decision is related to the increasingly strict restrictions in certain states of the US and over the years, these standards will only increase, forcing manufacturers to offer an enlarged electrified line of cars.

The trouble with this decision to stick with the PHEV livery is that the Italian automaker expects to receive about 35,000 batteries from its Chinese supplier CATL, according to what Automotive News Europe discovered.

The addition of the Tonale to the North American lineup will be followed by a partial redesign of the brand’s other two models, the Giulia sedan and the Stelvio compact SUV. Deliveries of the first Tonale models are expected to begin in the early months of 2023.