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After launching its first SUV, the Stelvio, in 2017, and the more compact Tonale in 2022, it was only a matter of time before Alfa Romeo entered the highly competitive and hugely popular small SUV segment. Its contender will be the all-new Alfa Romeo Milano: the flamboyant sister car to the rugged Jeep Avenger and chic Fiat 600.
But the Milano is more than just Alfa’s baby SUV, it will also be the Italian brand’s first attempt at a mainstream electric car, and one of many to come. The Alfa Romeo Milano is scheduled to make its worldwide premiere in April 2024, with the reveal taking place in Milan (obviously), before the first examples arrive in showrooms in September that year.
We’re sure Alfa Romeo would enjoy watching us spend the next few months excitedly speculating about what the new Milano will look like. Unfortunately for the brand, some images of the 4.2-metre-long baby Italian SUV leaked online in September 2023, giving us a sneak peek at the design.
A quick study of the images reveals obvious Alfa styling traits, including the famous scudetto grille and a new take on the iconic phone-dial wheel design, featured alongside a heavily sculpted bonnet, large roof spoiler and sloped rear windscreen. Split LED headlights are part of what looks to be a very aggressive front end design, while a strong rear shoulder line and short overhangs help to give the small car a bold stance.
But while those elements will set the Milano apart, we can also see some exterior components will be shared with sister cars from the Fiat and Jeep such as the mirror caps, windscreen, and rear door handles, which are tucked up in the C-pillar to give the car a cleaner look.
Meanwhile interior images show off a digital driver’s screen, not dissimilar to tech already in use on other Alfa models, with useful information displayed on a central readout, plus the brand’s familiar selection of ‘DNA’ drive modes, which stand for Dynamic, Normal and Advanced Efficiency.
Underneath the athletic bodywork, the Milano will use the same CMP/e-CMP platform as the new Fiat 600 and Jeep Avenger, plus several other small SUVs and superminis from the Stellantis paddock including the Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 2008.
The Milano will use the same 54kWh battery as the Avenger and 600e, which delivers around 250 miles of range in both cars so we can expect similar results from the Alfa. Meanwhile charging speeds will peak at 100kW, allowing for 20-80 per cent top-up in less than half an hour.
At launch, the Milano will only be available as an EV in the UK, however a mild-hybrid petrol engine will be offered in other markets, and could make its way to UK shores if demand is high enough. The CMP platform can also accommodate a pure-petrol engine and manual gearbox combo, which is now available in the Avenger, but there’s been no word whether it will also make an appearance in the Milano.
Alfa Romeo will utilise the Stellantis group’s bespoke all-electric STLA platform tech for several cars over the next few years, with the aim of becoming an electric-only brand by 2027. Among them are likely to be successors to the Giulia saloon and Stelvio SUV, bringing both nameplates and, Alfa hopes, existing customers into the BEV era.
Alfa Romeo will also launch a large electric saloon to sit above the Giulia EV and rival the likes of the BMW i5 and Audi A6 e-tron, while its forthcoming large electric SUV will attempt to give the BMW iX and Audi Q8 e-tron a good spanking.
Autoexpress