Alfa Romeo continues to fill out its SUV lineup with a new subcompact model called the Milano.
After the brand launched the Tonale, we’ve seen rumblings of the next model to make its way down the pipeline. The speculation culimnated last week in a cryptic post on Twitter/X showing a set of GPS coordinates, including Alfa’s own Museo Storico, the Balocco Proving Grounds, the Stelvio Pass after which it already named its midsize crossover, and the Brenner Pass on the Italy-Austria border (or Brennero Pass, as the Italians call it). While that last one makes total sense as a cheeky hint at the brand’s next SUV, that is not the case, as the automaker officially teased its upcoming model as the “Milano”.
This “game-changing #SportyUrbanVehicle”, as Alfa Romeo refers to it, will in fact be the brand’s first electric SUV, as the company did confirm the Milano as its first step into that arena. However, several reports amid the rumormill buzz suggests the car will offer an internal combustion engine (ICE) option — most likely a hybridized 1.2-liter turbocharged engine offered in the European market Fiat 600 and the Jeep Avenger Hybrid. The Milano will ride on Stellantis’ “CMP/eCMP” architecture, which is adaptable to ICE vehicles as well as purely electric versions.
As part of its “Dare Forward 2030” plan, brands under the Stellantis umbrella will start to phase out its gasoline engines later this decade, and Alfa Romeo has committed to ditching internal combustion entirely by 2027. So, while the Milano likely will offer a hybrid option at first, the electric model will ultimately be the only variant available moving forward. The BEV model could arrive in both single-motor front-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive variants, though powertrain details are unclear, for the moment.
In all likelihood, the Alfa Romeo Milano should bring a similar setup to the Jeep Avenger, which launched over in Europe as the brand’s first full EV and a subcompact alternative to popular rivals in that market. Using the WLTP cycle, the Milano may get a range of up to 239 miles, though it’s worth noting (as always) the European figure is typically far more optimistic than EPA ratings.
And that leads to the obvious question: Will the Alfa Romeo Milano come to the U.S. market? Well, if the Jeep Avenger is any indication, probably not. It is set to go on sale over in Europe next fall with the electric variant, followed by a plug-in hybrid a few months afterward. Still, some of the styling and technology could make its way into future U.S.-bound EVs, so the little Alfa is still worth keeping an eye on.
We’ll know more about the Milano and exactly where it will go on sale when it fully debuts in April 2024.
