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2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale for U.S. Market Enters Production, Retails at $42,995

The C-segment crossover that Alfa Romeo calls Tonale entered production last year, although only in European flavor. Series production of the North American variant kicked off today, March 31st, for the 2024 model year.
2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale 17 photos
Photo: Alfa Romeo
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Originally believed to arrive in dealer showrooms for the 2023 model year, the Italian crossover is assembled in Naples at the Pomigliano d’Arco plant. The technically similar Dodge Hornet is made there as well, hence the 17-digit vehicle identification number starting with Z.

Both are based on the Small Wide 4x4 LWB platform introduced by the Jeep Compass in 2017, a unibody design that’s also employed by the Jeep Commander. The latter is best regarded as the Compass with an extended wheelbase and seven seats, and for some reason or another, Jeep calls it Meridian over in India.

Alfa Romeo initially promised two powertrain choices for the North American variant of the Tonale, although the standard 2.0-liter turbo with all-wheel drive has been quietly axed. Why did the Italian automaker cancel it for this market in particular? The most likely cause is the Hornet, which flexes said engine and all-wheel-drive system in combination with a nine-speed transmission.

The Dodge-branded crossover presently retails at $29,995 sans destination charge, which is very good value for a C-segment crossover. The better-equipped GT Plus trim level is $35,490, as per the build & price tool. Alfa Romeo charges a somewhat unreasonable $42,995 for the Tonale plug-in hybrid, but on the upside, customers who lease can take advantage of a $7,500 federal tax credit. With more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) of electric range and best-in-segment 285 ponies on tap, it’s a pretty attractive package on paper.

It's not good enough in real life, though, because Toyota can do better with the RAV4 Prime. It’s also important for us to remember that Alfa Romeo isn’t a volume brand in the United States of America, where it ceased exporting cars in 1995 only to return two decades later.

Rather than a plug-in hybrid crossover from a company known for being too Italian for its own good, why not pay a few grand more for the Lexus NX plug-in hybrid? The quality is there, the reliability is also there, and Lexus fares much better in terms of aftersales as well.

Alfa Romeo sold a grand total of 12,845 vehicles in the United States last year, including a 4C. The D-segment crossover known as the Stelvio moved 7,752 units, and the Giulia compact executive sedan couldn’t do better than 5,092 units. Chances are that Alfa Romeo will regret canning the 2.0-liter turbo given these numbers and the relatively high price tag of the Tonale plug-in hybrid.

With the Hornet plug-in hybrid starting at $39,995 sans freight, it’s clear that Alfa Romeo won’t be pleased by the Tonale plug-in hybrid's sales volume in this part of the world.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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