Bared and shown in detail, the Tonale concept looks really good — dare we say, on par with recent Mazdas. It blends Stelvio styling cues into a smaller vehicle, but the concept still manages to look like its own thing, and perhaps even better than the bigger sibling. There are classic Alfa Romeo touches like phone-dial wheels, and the front end has a hint of the SZ and Brera coupes of earlier times.
The interior, while largely concept-car-like, brings more Alfa styling to the table. The gauges are housed in traditional bucket shapes visible through the steering wheel, conjoined by a central display. There’s a large central screen, underneath which runs a central tunnel covering that looks like muscle fiber, repeated in the door cards. The seats are styled like the racing buckets of a sports car.
Alfa Romeo states that electrified power has been used for its own means, instead of Alfa bowing down to accept new standards. “The electrification of Alfa Romeo comes at the service of sportiness and emphasizes the famous ‘Mechanics of Emotions’ mission of the brand,” as Alfa Romeo says. This also means the Tonale’s hybrid branding will be discreet instead of obvious.
The Tonale (“tonal,” in English) is a plug-in hybrid, with a rear-mounted electric motor; however, any definite specifications as to the engine, the electric powertrain or the utilized platform remain unannounced. One detail emerges, though: Earlier, fossil-fuel-only Alfa Romeos have used the “DNA” selector for Dynamic, Natural or Advanced Efficiency modes; now the Dynamic mode has been changed to Dual Power, and the other end is Advance E, for full electric mode.
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