Deliveries of the Alfa Romeo Tonale aren’t supposed to start in the United States until the second quarter of this year but the crossover is already enjoying very strong demand. So much so that the automaker is reportedly adding a second shift to its Pomigliano factory in Italy where the Tonal is produced.
In the same plant, Stellantis also builds the Fiat Panda and the manufacturer is cutting a shift from the production of the small car. Soon, the same assembly line will also become responsible for the Dodge Hornet, which is essentially a rebadged version of the Tonale. The Italian crossover is currently sold in Europe and Japan, and will soon arrive on US shores where it has a starting price of $42,995 for the entry-level Sprint trim.
The Pomigliano factory had a strong 34 percent increase in its output last year to a total of 165,000 units, of which 20,000 were Tonales. With the addition of a second shift for the crossover, the Tonale output will increase to about 400 units per day. The announcement also means the 1,600 workers that were temporarily laid off from the plant will return to work.
In its first year on the market, the Tonale registered 11,171 sales in Europe but it was announced back in November last year that the pre-orders for the model have reached 35,000 units. On the Old continent, the model is sold with a plug-in hybrid, mild-hybrid, and diesel engines, as opposed to the United States where only the PHEV powertrain is available. The electrified mill pairs a small 1.3-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with an electric motor for a total output of 285 hp.
The Tonale is part of Alfa Romeo’s plan to have at least 40 percent of its sales coming from outside Europe by the end of the decade compared to just 18 percent in 2021. The closely related Dodge Hornet is also expected to generate strong sales with early estimations showing more than 40,000 potential sales per year.
