Alfa Rome has unveiled the new Junior (formerly known as Milano till the Italian government put a stop to the name) which slots below the Tonale SUV. It’s a compact SUV the Italian brand will hope to use to enhance its market acceptance especially with people new to the brand.

Taking design cues from past Alfa Romeos whilst staying true to the design trends of today. It’s a compact SUV with a strong appeal front encompassing ‘3+3’ adaptive Full LED Matrix headlights. The Alfa grille is retained in smaller proportions than on previous models. There are small side air intakes whilst the lower air intake takes a dominant part of the front.

The Junior has a strong shoulder line that runs from the front overhangs to the rear. Rear door handles are placed on the C pillar giving the model a Coupe look. The roof also comes in a different colour palette to the body for a dual tone look.

20inch wheels give the Junior a sporty look and they should compliment its dynamic driving abilities.

The rear has the iconic ‘truncated tail,’ a reference to the legendary Giulia TZ. There are LED lights used at the rear with a black clad lower section of the rear featuring a collar line that mimics a diffuser.

The close cockpit design of Alfas is retained with the historical ‘telescope’ design used for the instrument cluster. In the middle of the cluster, the standout feature is a fully digital 10.25” TFT screen, to access the car’s data and the settings for the driving technologies. In the middle of the dashboard and oriented towards the driver, a 10.25” touchscreen system developed to work with widgets, graphic components designed for intuitive interaction with all the features, which can be customized via quick and easy drag and drop. The air conditioning vents are in the shape of a quadrifoglio, a sporty design of Alfa cars.

Sabelt sports seats feature an enveloping backrest that combines high mechanical resistance, perfect ergonomics and structural lightness.

According to Alfa Romeo, comfort means making every travel experience simple, extremely pleasant, organized, and safe. The rear layout is also designed to enhance rear comfort.

Alfa Romeo claims the Junior boasts the largest trunk in its class (BEV) with a load capacity of as much as 400 liters.

Powering the Junior models are a combination of hybrid and electric drivetrains. Drive is either to the front-wheels or Q4 all-wheel drive. There is a 1.3-litre 3-cylinder 48-V Hybrid VGT credited with 101kW. The electrical component consists of a 48-volt lithium-ion battery and a 21-kW electric motor built into the innovative 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which works together with the inverter and transmission control unit to ensure maximum efficiency. Junior SPECIALE, the top-of-the-range launch version is available with IBRIDA (101kW) and ELETTRICA (116kW) powertrains. There will also be a 178kW ELETTRICA VELOCE version. Expect the Junior in Mzansi before the end of 2024 with local spec communicated closer to launch.