Alfa Romeo Junior EV brings 250 miles for £33,895
The Junior is Alfa Romeo's third SUV and its first series-production electric car
Crossover, originally launched as Milano, will go on sale later this month in electric form; hybrid to follow
The Alfa Romeo Junior, the Italian brand’s first EV that was controversially forced into a name change after it was revealed, will arrive this summer priced from £33,895.
Originally launched as the Milano – in tribute to the city of Milan – until a public political outcry over its Polish production forced Alfa’s hand, the Junior packs a 54kWh battery and can achieve a range of 250 miles in its most economical form.
It’s offered in two power outputs, either 154hp in standard Elettrica or launch edition Speciale (priced from £35,695) trim, or with 237bhp in top-rung Veloce form. In this spec, range is reduced to 215 miles.
In entry level Elettrica, standard kit comes in the form of 18in aero alloys, rear parking sensors, black gloss mirror covers and LED lights. Inside a 10.25in infotainment screen - mounted in a retro-style 'telescopic' binnacle – is fitted, with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.
From £42,295, Veloce owners get 20in diamond-cut alloys, red brake callipers and a blacked-out roof and scudetto. It also gets electrically adjustable Sabelt seats upholstered in black and red suede, built-in navigation, adaptive cruise control and 18-deg rear camera.
All models get a heat pump and an 11kW on-board AC charger. They also get a 400-litre boot and, in the EV, a cable storage bay at the front. Alfa claims that the design of the latter was inspired by the front storage areas offered on its rear-engined supercars.
Positioned as the spiritual successor to the Giulietta and Mito hatchbacks, the new Junior majors on accessibility but offering both premium appeal and driver engagement in a bid to "attract a new generation of Alfisti".
Alfa boss Jean-Philippe Imparato said that the Junior was designed to help the brand go "from exclusive to inclusive". He highlighted that it would sit in the same line-up at the ultra-exclusive 33 Stradale, adding: "Alfa is the only brand that is able to sell a car at €2 million and €30,000."
Imparato added: "Many of Alfa Romeo's fans still miss the Mito and Giulietta, and now we revamp their stories. Welcome home."
Measuring 4170mm long by 1780mm wide and 1500mm tall, the Junior adopts several bold new design cues but nods back to Alfas of old with features like the swollen wheel arches, a 'coda tronca' bluff rear end and SZ-inspired headlights. The most distinctive feature is the new interpretation of Alfa's traditional front-end grille, which on electric versions featured stylised elements from the firm's logo.
Claiming "the lowest weight in the segment and optimal mass distribution", Alfa talks up the "best-in-class" driving dynamics of its new small crossover, noting that the chassis was tuned by the same team responsible for the hardcore Giulia GTA super-saloon.
The Veloce variant, positioned as the most driver-focused in the range, is fitted with the same Torsen limited-slip differential as the Abarth 600e. There are front and rear anti-roll bars, with the firm claiming best in class driving dynamics.
It also has "the most direct steering in the segment", Alfa said, with a ratio of 14:1, alongside a 25mm suspension drop, stiffer anti-roll bars at each end and "high-performance" tyres.
Chunky 380mm front brake discs clamped by four-piston calipers round off the agility-focused chassis overhaul.
As with the Citroën C4, Fiat 600, Jeep Avenger and Peugeot 2008 with which it shares a platform (and its basic dimensions), the Junior is available with the choice of electric or mild-hybrid petrol power.
The Junior Ibrida combines a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with a 48V starter-generator and a 28bhp electric motor in the six-speed automatic gearbox for 134bhp and the possibility of short-distance EV running. It's front-wheel-drive as standard, but a four-wheel-drive version will arrive later - "a first in the premium segment", Alfa says.
There's no word yet on the likelihood of a full-bore Quadrifoglio version, but Imparato has previously said he "will always study the possibility to make a performance version" of each new model, as long as it is "fully consistent with the product portfolio message we send".
"If I consider that I’m not able to offer the right level of performance steps of Quadrifoglio, I will not do a Quadrifoglio version.”
The car will be available in the UK later this month. It will launch in 28 markets in the next six months.