From Milano to Junior, welcome to the new Alfa Romeo

Electric Vehicles  New Launches 

Have you seen the gorgeous new Alfa Romeo Milano? If you haven’t, we’re afraid you’ve missed your chance to lease one.

In one of those weird quirks of history, and literally a matter of days after revealing the brand-new Milano EV to the world, Alfa issued a press release announcing that the Italian government has declared the Milano name to be illegal. So, if you haven’t seen the new Milano, let us introduce you to the new Alfa Romeo Junior instead.

The Alfa Romeo Junior is an all-electric compact SUV designed to bring Alfa’s mix of style and sportiness to the largest sector of the car market. Coincidentally, it’s also identical in every respect to the Milano it replaces…apart from the name.

The new Junior marks the return of Alfa Romeo to the small car sector and aims to attract those who might previously have considered a Mito or Giulietta hatchback. The current range starts with the Tonale mid-size SUV so the Junior will be filling an important gap in Alfa’s line-up. Interestingly, the electrification of the rest of the Alfa range is still at the hybrid stage so the Junior will also be the brand’s first all-electric offering.

Although there is a hybrid version of the new car in the pipeline, the first model to launch will be the all-electric Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Speciale. This top-of-the-range launch version combines a selection of the best specifications from across the Junior range.

One look at the new Alfa Romeo Junior and anyone with a passing knowledge of the brand’s history will see the resemblance to the SZ from the late 80s/early 90s. The bold look of the front, with its ‘3+3’ adaptive Full LED Matrix headlights and narrow grille, and the way the shoulder line rises towards the rear to meet the slope of the roof, is clearly influenced by the SZ. In the Speciale specification you also get matte sports finish, the ’Progresso' badge, and 18-inch ‘Petali’ alloy wheels.



The interior is finished with sporty and exclusive features such as ‘Spiga’ vinyl and fabric interior, leather steering wheel, and electrically operated driver’s seat with massage function. There’s also some elegant and distinctive eight-colour interior lighting that highlights the air vents, central tunnel, and Alfa’s iconic ‘telescope’ instrument binnacle. In terms of technology, The Alfa Junior Speciale also offers level 2 autonomous driving, connected navigation, 180° rear camera, hands free electric tailgate, and keyless system with proximity access technology as standard.

As well as the 136bhp hybrid version we mentioned earlier, there are two all-electric options available offering either 156bhp or 240bhp. The Speciale launch edition will come with the 156bhp option with the others due to follow later.

The new-generation EV system combines synchronous electric motors with the latest battery technology. The 54-kWh battery in the 156bhp version offers high energy density that provides around 250 miles of range and can be charged from 10% to 80% in under 30 minutes. The all-electric Alfa Romeo Junior is also equipped with an 11-kW three-phase onboard charger so it can easily be charged while you’re out and about, via a home wallbox, or even an old-fashioned domestic plug socket.

In the compact SUV sector, the Alfa Romeo Junior offers something none of its rivals can. There are plenty of sporty options from other manufacturers. Lots of them come with the technology, comfort, and space to match the Junior too. But no matter how hard they might try, none of those rivals will ever be an Alfa Romeo.

And in case you were wondering, the reason the Milano name was declared illegal is something to do with a law prohibiting the use of Italian-sounding names for products not manufactured in Italy. But that’s in the past. What you need to know now, is how you can lease the latest from Alfa Romeo.

---

View our latest blog posts