The current director of Peugeot will take over the management of Alfa Romeo. Jean-Philippe Imparato claims that the brand’s future plans are ambitious, but so far he does not want to promise anything he cannot fulfill.
–
At the beginning of the year, Alfa Romeo became part of the new multinational Stellantis Group as part of the FCA and PSA merger. He has big plans with his brands, and he also believes in the success of the Italian manufacturer, which, despite confident statements, has rather suffered recently. A new era also means a new leadership, Alfa was taken over by the experienced Jean-Philippe Imparato, who has now revealed his plans for the first time with a famous brand.
Tonale’s production will begin in March 2022, and sales will begin in the first week of June 2022, Imparato unveiled at a meeting with Italian journalists the most important Alfa news in the near future. According to behind-the-scenes reports, the new boss was not satisfied with the development so far and he had the car reworked, which was to delay his arrival against the original plans.
“Tonale is Alfa’s first electrified model, so we have to do the job at the highest level. Thanks to Stellantis, we have the advantage of being able to make some technical adjustments to Tonale, so I decided to modify the plug-in hybrid immediately, “admits Imparato, who has previously headed the Peugeot brand, so he already has experience with electrified models. The plug-in hybrid is to be available from the start of Tonale sales.
The compact SUV with plug-in hybrid drive is supposed to be just the beginning of the electrification of Alfa Romeo’s portfolio. The new head of the brand admits that without electrification, this will simply not be possible in Europe due to the future tightening of emission standards. That is why hybrids and electric cars are considered. “Every new model will be electrified, starting with Tonale in 2022,” says Imparato.
–
–
It is the electric drive that the upcoming small Brennero SUV is to offer, which will be built under the Tonale. “I can confirm that we are working on a small platform and I can confirm that plans Alfa produced in the Polish plant Tychy, “Admits the former head of Peugeot. It is this small SUV that should already take advantage of the establishment of the Stellantis concern, ie the possibility of sharing technology from the workshop of the existing PSA.
Electrification will also apply to large models, which unfortunately will lose the existing architecture of Giorgio known from Giulia and Stelvia. Respectively, it will be integrated into the new platform system of the Stellantis Group, which includes three architectures, for small cars, medium-sized models and large cars.
Imparato further admits that a certain stability is also part of his strategy. “I think the thing that needs to change is that we must not change our strategy every day. We need stability. We need to create a plan for the next ten years, with projects for the first five years to be planned, approved and funded. Once that happens, we will not change it, “says the French manager, who indirectly refers to recent years, when Alpha always represented ambitious future plans, of which in the end most were nothing.
–
–
That is why Imparato will not publish any product plan after its arrival. So far, he wants to focus on Tonale and only then will he focus on future strategy. However, it suggests that the future strategy will be ambitious, with an emphasis on electrification. “I don’t want to promise anything that can’t be fulfilled yet,” says Imparato.
In any case, Stellantis has big plans with the Alfa Romeo brand, as evidenced by the story of how Imparato got to lead the Italian brand. In January, Carlos Tavares, PSA’s current chairman and current CEO of Stellantis, called him with a simple question about whether he would like to change and work in Italy after five years at Peugeot. Imparato immediately nodded at the offer, Peugeot handed it over to Linda Jackson, the former head of Citroën, with whom he has known for years, and three days later he flew to Milan. I wanted to prove that Alpha would not be controlled from Paris, he says. “When you work for a Peugeot that collects billions of euros a year, you don’t go to Alfa for a career. You do it in person, because of your personal passion, “says Imparato.
– .
