The Alfa Romeo Junior is revolutionizing the compact SUV segment. We will take an in-depth look at all its features. We can indeed say that the electric car segment has just expanded with the arrival of a major new player, the Alfa Romeo Junior. That is, we are talking about a rather compact SUV, which is characterized in particular by its bold and attractive styling, while maintaining the brand’s sportiness.
The target segment offers consumers several sporty versions of cars, but the Junior stands out from the others because of its styling that exactly reflects the aesthetic standards of the moment. It enters the market as a great novelty, thanks to its technical features that have been extensively analyzed. We will see how it will position itself within a market that is by no means easy to tackle, that of electric SUVs. Therefore, production of this new vehicle has officially begun in Poland.
Alfa Romeo Junior produced in Tychy, Poland
So the Alfa Romeo Junior that we will soon see on roads around the world is produced at the Tychy plant in Poland. Voicing his opinion to the concern was the plant director himself, Tomasz Gębka. The director said that this start of production of the new Alfa Romeo Junior, represents the highest point of success for the project the plant has been working on for years.
While this announcement continues sparked debates on the issue of ‘Made in Italy,’ there is no denying Stellantis’ commitment to modernizing production lines and creating a sustainable business model for the future of mobility.
Tychy selected by Stellantis as production center for low and zero emission vehicles
Tychy has been chosen as a production hub for low- and zero-emission vehicles, in line with Stellantis’ strategic plan. In fact, the goal of the Poles is to permanently modernize the production lines, creating a sustainable business model to be used for the future of mobility. This is precisely why the Tichy plant has become the official low and even zero-emission vehicle manufacturer of Stellantis, participating very actively in the group’s strategic plan, namely the Stellantis Dare Forward 2030. Through this business plan, the automotive group is working hard to position itself at the top of the industry to effectively combat the much talked about climate change.
However, the task of the Polish Stellantis plant remains very clear. It is to ensure the industry’s highest standards in terms of production quality, to give the Alfa Romeo brand a chance to become a very reliable model, characterized by completely unique driving experiences. But it doesn’t end there, as the Polish plant’s involvement is much more ambitious than one might think within the Stellantis plan. In fact, the factory is working on an innovative plan to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and subsequent energy consumption.
Tychy selected for some important investments
For that very reason, considerable investments are being and will be made so that the transition to green mobility can be increasingly effective and lasting. An early project that has been completed at the plant is one involving the production of a new manufacturing facility that also includes compressed air cooling. This system, has given the manufacturing plant itself the opportunity to become independent in terms of the heat supply that is needed in the production cycle of the cars.
As mentioned above, the Vichy plant will continue to surprise, as another particularly important element has also been completed. It is in this case the replacement of the heating network with a completely new one. The latter was chosen so as to be of higher quality and fully automated. The determining factor of this plant is that it is able to produce non-polluting heat through the use of biomass instead of coal and gas.
Junior’s performance characteristics
But now let us turn to the technical characteristics of the Junior, which will be publicly available as a hybrid version with front-wheel drive. At the beginning of 2025, instead, this will be the first car in its segment to be commercially available with Q4 all-wheel drive. Such a system is responsible for automatically managing the rear-wheel drive, ensuring maximum grip in all kinds of scenarios.
As for what powertrains we will see available with the new Alfa Romeo Junior, there will be, as anticipated, the hybrid and also the electric, which in turn will differ in two power levels. The first version (hybrid) will come with an internal combustion engine, which will in turn be supported by an electric motor, so as to offer a perfect combination of efficiency and performance. The electric version, on the other hand, will enter the market with a 156-hp model with a 410-km range, perfect for urban and daily use. The other version, on the other hand, will be the 280-hp Veloce, which is the sportiest version of the Junior. This one will be able to deliver up to 280 hp, with true sports car performance worthy of its brand name.
The Junior’s low weight diversifying among SUVs
The new Junior has also been designed with a vehicle weight significantly lower than all other SUVs in the segment and also perfectly distributed. Speaking instead of traction, we know that it will most likely be the best in class. This is possible thanks to Alfa Romeo’s use of special technical solutions, such as the steering, which is also the most direct in its segment (14.6). It has been specially calibrated to be effective in terms of operational precision, improving the car’s driving characteristics. In addition, the Junior will also be available on request with the Alfa DNA system. This system is integrated into the car to customize the driving according to the needs of the consumer, but also taking into account the variables of the terrain being driven.
Junior’s several modes and a variety of functions
The Alfa Romeo Junior will be available in a variety of modalities. The Natural is one, which will have the right balance of performance and comfort for passengers and driver, more intended for everyday use thanks to its comfortable stance. And another will be Dynamic, which will be more focused on high-level performance, thanks to a special calibration of the steering system and accelerator pedal. Lastly, the Advanced Efficiency mode will also be available, and this mode will be perfectly tuned to be as efficient as possible. By reducing energy consumption, excitement behind the wheel will also be maintained.
Advanced communication technology
Alfa Romeo Junior will also be equipped with great advanced communication technology. It will be very useful for both passenger comfort and intuitive systems for the driver. In fact, there will also be several systems that support the person behind the wheel, such as longitudinal and lateral control of the vehicle (second-level autonomous driving). This will be combined with 360-degree parking sensors and a 180-degree rear camera, which will allow complete monitoring of the environment surrounding the car. This contributes in creating a brand new parking system that is semi-autonomous and very practical for those who use it.
The Junior always connected and updated
Alfa Romeo has made its new car, the Junior, extremely smart and connected. And this means that it will be possible to do many things while remaining comfortably seated in the seat, or even, remotely with your smartphone. The Junior will have a smart system that can automatically find the nearest charging station if there is a need to fill up. In addition, the car’s maps and functions will always update autonomously, just as modern cell phones do.
My Remote function
With precisely the latter, it will be possible to perform “My Remote” remote controls, such as locking and unlocking doors, up to even starting the heating or air conditioning before getting on the road. Of course, there will also be functionality to receive real-time traffic information. Finally, we will also find on board the voice assistant called “Hey Alfa” combined with ChatGPT (AI), to which it will be possible to ask questions, ask to make phone calls, and find the fastest way.