Is The Alfa Romeo Tonale Coming to Malaysia Soon?

Now fully operational, Stellantis Malaysia is poised to expand its reach by potentially introducing several new brands under its vast portfolio.

In case you missed it, Stellantis has just announced the official operational commencement for its local arm, aptly known as Stellantis Malaysia National Sales Company (Stellantis Malaysia). Besides assuming management for the Peugeot brand in Malaysia, the firm has also published a photo featuring its wide array of product lineup, which includes some interesting models from brands that are currently not operational in our market.

Apparently, the Alfa Romeo Tonale crossover is one of the models teased by Stellantis Malaysia.

One of those models that appeared here is the Alfa Romeo Tonale compact crossover, which quietly appeared besides the other Peugeot models. For those who don’t know, this renowned Italian marque was previously under Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), which has now been absorbed under Stellantis’ vast portfolio.

The Tonale is built upon the same FCA Small Wide platform used on both the Dodge Hornet and Jeep Compass. Measuring 4,530 MM long, 1,840 MM wide, 1,600 MM, and a wheelbase of 2,637 MM, the Tonale is positioned to fight against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLA, BMW X1, and Audi Q3 in the subcompact SUV/crossover segment in Europe.

The Tonale comes in both MHEV and PHEV forms, with the former featuring a 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbocharged petrol engine as its core.

In terms of powertrain, the Tonale comes in both mild hybrid (MHEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The former sees the Tonale employ a 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbocharged petrol mill rated at 160 HP and 240 NM that hooks up to a 48-volt belt-driven starter-generator (BSG) that adds 20 HP and 55 NM to its total system output.

Mated to a seven-speed DCT automatic, the Tonale MHEV boasts a 0-100 KM/H sprint time of 8.8 seconds before reaching its limited V-Max of 209 KM/H.

The Tonale PHEV AWD is a more powerful variant of the two, featuring a maximum EV range of up to 60 KM.

Meanwhile, the PHEV version comes with a smaller 1.3-litre 4-cyl turbocharged petrol mill that is mated to an electric motor to deliver a total system output of 285 HP and 470 NM. Mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox, the all-wheel drive (AWD) Tonale PHEV is good for a century sprint finish of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of around 206 KM/H.

Said electric motor is juiced by a small 15.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, granting it up to 60 KM of pure EV range, according to the WLTP standards.

The Tonale is unmistakably an Alfa Romeo-designed car, thanks to some of its key design bits derived from other Alfa models.

On the styling front, the Alfa Romeo Tonale is essentially a shrunk-down version of Alfa’s flagship SUV model, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. As a result, this compact crossover gains several familiar Alfa design traits, including the signature Scudetto front grille design, sharp LED headlights with three light signatures inside them, and matching LED taillights, all wrapped in a sporty and curved SUV crossover body.

Depending on the trim level, the Tonale is offered with a wide array of wheels, including the stylish 20-inch ones derived from its sedan twin, the Giulia.

On-board equipment seems pretty decent for the Tonale SUV, where you’ll get standard equipment like the 10.25-inch central infotainment display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a bigger 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, posh leather upholstery with red stitches option for the higher spec models, plus a sporty steering wheel with sizable paddle shifters.

Although not explicitly confirmed by Stellantis Malaysia, we can expect to see the Alfa Romeo Tonale make its Malaysian debut any time soon...

While Stellantis Malaysia did not explicitly say that it’s planning to bring the Alfa Romeo Tonale into our market, the firm did express interest in further expanding its product portfolio here beyond the Peugeot brand. This may bode some good news for automotive fans who’ve been yearning for more Stellantis brands like Alfa Romeo and Jeep to make their comeback here in Malaysia.

STLA Medium-based models like the Peugeot 408 (left) are poised to be locally-assembled (CKD) at Stellantis Gurun plant (right).

Besides that, we’ve also previously reported that Stellantis Malaysia is interested in introducing more STLA Medium-based models for our local market, with its local assembly (CKD) set to take place at the brand’s  production facility in Gurun, Kedah.

So folks, what do you think of the Alfa Romeo Tonale? Keen to see this Italian SUV crossover go against its burgeoning German rivals mentioned earlier? Or would you prefer Stellantis to reintroduce the Alfa Romeo brand with something sportier and more performance-oriented, like the Giulia Quadrifoglio performance saloon? As always, don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below…