Alfa Romeo’s next new model – its smallest SUV yet – will be called the Brennero, the company has confirmed on X (formerly Twitter).
We now have a name to match a face, or rather a name to accompany a set of images that were previously leaked online.
It’s set to debut in 2024.
The Brennero is set to ride on a version of the Stellantis platform underpinning the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600. Both of these models measure around 4.1 metres long by 1.8 metres wide.
This platform supports both electric and petrol power, with previous leaked images featuring a fuel gauge and gear indicator on the car’s instrument cluster.
Maybe we’ve known it all along.#AlfaRomeo pic.twitter.com/dE10xGYXwO
— Alfa Romeo (@alfa_romeo) December 6, 2023
This suggests petrol (with some hybrid augmentation) will feature on the new Alfa Romeo.
The petrol-powered Avenger offers a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine, offered with a 48V mild-hybrid system and a six-speed automatic transmission. A version without this system comes with a six-speed manual.
The electric Avenger features a 400V electrical system and a 54kWh nickel manganese cobalt lithium-ion battery located under the cabin.
Claimed range on the stricter WLTP cycle is 400km, while a newly developed electric motor produces 115kW of power and 260Nm of torque.
Jeep says a 100kW DC charger can take the Avenger’s battery from 20 to 80 per cent in 24 minutes.
The leaked images of the Brennero reveal a design that has clear continuity with the larger Tonale and Stelvio, and features the brand’s distinctive V-shaped grille.
The LED lighting up front has a unique signature, while down back there are horizontal tail lights similar to those of the Tonale. A version of Alfa Romeo’s trademark telephone dial wheels also feature.
Despite sharing a platform with the Jeep Avenger and other compact-segment Stellantis vehicles, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato insists the Brennaro will still drive like an Alfa Romeo.
“You will see that it will be an Alfa Romeo,” he told Auto Express.
“We are spending time on designing that car with the same spirit. And the driveability of the car, the performance of that car, will be driven by the tuning that we do on the Tonale. We can have the driveability of an Alfa with this type of product; I have no doubt of that.”
Alfa Romeo plans to be an electric-only brand by 2027.
Given the potential volumes on offer, electric replacements for the Tonale and Stelvio are guaranteed. Alfa Romeo head of product planning Daniel Guzzafame has confirmed a sports sedan like the Giulia is a brand pillar, and will also feature in some form.
“You need a Giulia, you need a Stelvio, you need a Tonale,” he said. “Then you need something bigger.”
Mr Imparato’s remarks to Auto Express seemingly reaffirmed the desire to keep the Giulia around.
“The shape of the Giulia is fantastic, I don’t want to lose this. The car is absolutely gorgeous, so there is a future for this type of car,” he said.
Rounding out the range of crossovers will be a large SUV to take on the Volvo EX90 and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV in 2027, as confirmed by Mr Imparato to Dutch outlet AutoWeek earlier this year.
Mr Imparato has also expressed interest in reviving the GTV coupe, although global interest in coupes is waning.
