“Internally, we have our processes,” Noirbent said this month. “We work closely with our network, the factory, so we know where we’re going, we know where we’re headed, we see our [key performance indicators] increasing. Now you get that sort of reward.
“I mean, that was like the greatest reward you can have as a team. Now, when you’re No. 1, there’s only one way [to go], so it is never-ending. We need to make sure that next year we repeat that. We need to make sure that we perfect our processes.”
While Alfa hones the customer experience, it’s also welcoming new product.
It’s preparing to launch the Tonale plug-in hybrid, its first electrified model, in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2023.
The brand had planned to sell the hybrid Tonale alongside a conventional gasoline version but decided instead to sell it only as a plug-in for the U.S. Noirbent said the brand thinks there’s enough demand for electrified options to support the upcoming compact utility vehicle.
“The market has moved quite dramatically also, for the past few months,” Noirbent said. “It looks like the moment is ripe for us to say, ‘Let’s go for that.’ ”
Alfa doesn’t plan to play up the Tonale’s electrified technology in its marketing. Noirbent said the plug-in capabilities are an added benefit and that the vehicle will be marketed a “true Alfa Romeo.”
