Alfa Romeo reaffirms commitment to Australia

DESPITE Alfa Romeo posting its lowest Australian sales this century so far in 2023, owner Stellantis has confirmed that it remains committed to the Italian premium brand in this country due to the amount of all-new product on its way as Alfa Romeo speeds towards electrification.

Speaking to GoAuto at the Tonale compact SUV’s Australian launch, Stellantis corporate communications manager Alison Van Den Dungen said that abandoning this market and Alfa’s nine dealers would be premature given the fresh product that will be introduced over the next few years.

“At this point in time there’s absolutely no reason to be walking away from Alfa Romeo in Australia,” said Ms Van Den Dungen.

“I definitely don’t think that now is the right time to be talking about us leaving.”

Stellantis chief Carlos Tavares has stated that every brand in the group (which includes Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot, Citroen and Opel/Vauxhall) has 10 years to prove its viability and longevity, so Alfa Romeo is hoping the Tonale marks the beginning of a sales and technology ‘metamorphosis’, despite several failed previous attempts at achieving a similar end in the past.

Following a substantial investment in attempting to raise awareness of Alfa’s new Tonale premium small SUV – commissioning billboards on major freeways, busy airports and shopping centres, and instigating social-media campaigns with Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to try and attract a fresh audience to the brand – Stellantis’s Australian outfit remains determined to turn around Alfa Romeo’s lowest sales volume in this country for 25 years.

“We’re bringing out some really exciting product and that’s really going to revitalise the brand here, if anything,” said Ms Van Den Dungen.

“It’s a really exciting time for not only Alfa Romeo but all of the Stellantis brands here in Australia and around the world, as we embark on this new journey, this new venture towards EV across every single vehicle in the entire family.”

Alfa Romeo has finally begun the rapid process of transitioning to widespread electrification, with the next-generation Giulia and Stelvio set to expand on the mild hybrid technology introduced with the Tonale and forthcoming Tonale plug-in hybrid variants.

Ms Van Den Dungen reiterated that parent company Stellantis is “looking at every single product across the board and where that fits and where its future lies”.

“It’s a really exciting time for us,” she emphasised.

While disadvantaged by the delayed arrival of the facelifted MY23 Giulia sedan and Stelvio medium SUV, as well as the year-long wait for the all-new Tonale to reach Australia, Alfa Romeo’s 100 sales during the first quarter of 2023 is 38 per cent down on the same period in 2022 – a year that already ranked as its lowest sales performance since 1998 (when, prior to the launch of the 156 sedan in Australia, the Alfa Romeo sold just 311 cars in a full year).

Yet Alfa Romeo’s situation in Europe is starting to appear promising, with first-quarter sales up 136 per cent and market share doubling (though actual figures were not officially quoted by Stellantis executives).

Globally during 2023’s first quarter, Alfa Romeo volume grew 64 percent com pared to the same period in 2022.

Alfa Romeo’s best Australian sales performance in recent times was in 2002 when it managed 2513 deliveries, followed by 2013 (2373 units) and 2014 (2498 sales).

The only other years it breached the 2000-unit mark were in 2001 (2023 sales) and 2003 (2006 sales).

In 2018, despite the launch of the Stelvio SUV, Alfa achieved 1279 sales in Australia and since then has consistently dipped below 1000 units a year, managing just 571 deliveries in 2022.

In the United States, Alfa Romeo’s record sales year was set in 2018 when it shifted 23,800 units. Previous historical high points for the Italian brand’s US sales occurred in 1986 (8201 units) and 1977 (6712 units).

Alfa Romeo Australian sales data