Vintage Heritage Meets Modern Technology: Alfa Romeo’s Newest Model Will Also Lead the Brand into the Electric Car Future
Danyel Buie
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Alfa Romeo Tonale is Synonymous with Style and Luxury
I’m a huge fan of old movies and have been fascinated a time or two by the gorgeous men and women in the movies driving fast and fancy cars, most of which have been Alfa Romeo.
That could be said of modern design and luxury, too. And the “modern” label also applies to where this legendary Italian car brand is headed: electric cars. The newest model, the Tonale, will also be the brand’s first electric model. When it makes its debut in North America early next year, buyers will be able to choose from a fully gas-powered model and a plug-in electric hybrid model, which allows a portion of driving to be done on all electric, supplemented by a hybrid gas powered engine.
Related: Finally, a New SUV from Alfa Romeo and We Can’t Wait to Drive it
Alfa Romeo has launched into EV/Hybrid Market by introducing their Tonale and Stelvio Models in the U.S. Photo: Danyel Buie
Getting a Closer Look at the Tonale
I recently learned about the new 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale and got a chance to take a closer look. Believe me when I say, they had me at hello. The SUV’s smaller proportions, elegant wheels that look like the gears of a timepiece, and iconic Alfa Romeo front grille promise an elevated experience. Comparing it to the Stelvio, which was also on hand for us to explore gave the confidence that refined Italian design can be had at a very approachable price; it’s said to be priced from $37,000 to about $49,000, a step under the Stelvio’s starting price of about $46,000.
Related: 9 Reasons You Should Consider the Alfa Romeo Stelvio for Your Next SUV
The front end of the Alfa Romeo Tonale. Photo: Danyel Buie
The 2023 Alfa Romeo Wants to Turn Women’s Heads
I had the opportunity to meet with the Senior Vice President/Head of Alfa Romeo and Fiat North America Larry Dominique to get his thoughts on the future of Alfa Romeo in the EV arena. He is very excited and honored to usher in their new line of vehicles and keeping the vintage heritage that the brand is known for while upgrading their models with the best technology to date. Larry said “the goal is not to chase the market share, it’s all about our strong branding stance and remaining a premium product.”
I love how passionately he spoke about Alfa Romeo’s brand pillars: customer satisfaction, quality and of course, profitability. Traditionally, Alfa Romeo has had a male dominated consumer base with the average buyer right around 44 years of age. But realizing that women want to feel stylish as they drive from board meetings to airports and even drop off and pick up their kids from school, they’re shifting the marketing appeal: young, professional female millennials because who are in the market for luxury at an affordable price.
And, the brand has an exclusive appeal. They sold 19,000 last year. It’s enough to establish a good reputation, but I also like the exclusivity that this gives. It’s nice to not walk out to the parking lot and have to look at license plates to find your car because they all look the same.
The Tonale will sport the fresh and modern Alfa Romeo wheels seen on other models. Photo: Danyel Buie
The 2023 Tonale Delivers in more ways than One
The 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV will be the first electrified car of its line, so why is that important? It gets us thinking about what the future of Alfa Romeo will be in terms of new technology and all of its possibilities. They’re doing more than just giving us a standard electric car; the company is revamping the DNA of their cars entirely to be more in line with renewable energy and environmental harmony.
Ever heard of an electric car with NFT capability? Well you have now, and Alfa Romeo is the first to do so by linking their cars to an NFT digital certificate. The NFT will record vehicle data in the form of a certificate that shows you exactly how the vehicle is being maintained, an innovative CarFax if you will. In my opinion, this will be a big selling point amongst millennials who love all things tech and I’m curious to see how Alfa Romeo will utilize blockchain technology and how they will store the data for their NFT certificates, more to come on that hopefully. It will be interesting to see if an NFT will give their cars great residual value.
Another great feature? You can have your shopping packages delivered to your Tonale! Thanks to their system integration with Amazon, drivers can access the “Secure Delivery Service” feature and can choose their Tonale as the delivery location. My mind is totally blown with this one. Pretty AND functional is a YES for me! All you’ll have to do is remotely open the doors, and your packages are safely and conveniently delivered. I’m always online buying something so this excites me a lot and I’d love to see how this feature plays out in real life when the time comes.
After checking out the vehicle for the first time, I immediately saw that the Tonale is not only beautiful inside and out, it is hyper focused from a technology standpoint on creating an incredible driving experience for its buyers.
Millennials and young professionals alike will appreciate the Alfa Romeo EV models’ driver centric technology, aerodynamic design (fun fact: there are NO straight lines anywhere on the vehicle!) and vintage sportiness that’s just right for the 21st Century.
Alfa Romeo Tonal’s cargo area. Photo: Danyel Buie
What’s Next for the 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale Rollout?
I had to share this experience with my mother. She took me on her own nostalgic trip down memory lane about her own Alfa way back in the 70’s while living overseas with my Dad, who was in the military at the time. They lived in a time and place where an iconic brand (now 112 years old!) stood for the best luxury car you could buy. And, in the time since, it’s been well recognized as “Sports Car of the Year,” “Best Imported Car” and “Performance Car of the Year” from a number of institutions. That makes it easy to tip my hat to its heritage.
And that heritage seems on a solid track forward. Just looking at this car makes me feel like money. I think a trip to the Alfa Romeo dealership is officially on my to-do list. Now which color should I choose, the Montreal Green or the Misano Blue?