Alfa Romeo Junior EV is the perfect way to relaunch the brand locally.
There have been rumours of the re-introduction of the Alfa Romeo brand in Malaysia following the rejuvenation of Peugeot under the relatively new local Stellantis office. While no concrete information has yet to be announced, many have already begun to speculate as to which models will be the first in Malaysia. After all, the Alfa Romeo brand has been missing from the country for quite some time. While there are still many Alfistis around, the general public has lost track of what this brand stands for and where it’s positioned these days.
I myself can’t really say if a brand like Alfa Romeo can justify asking asking for more money than BMW or Mercedes-Benz locally for equivalently specified models. After all, these established German premium marques already offer relatively good deals on 6-cylinder performance models from with M or AMG branding. So, how should Alfa Romeo navigate the waters if it aims to make a real return to Malaysia?
If they’re quick enough to set up basic operations in key areas like Penang, Johor Bahru and the Klang Valley by the middle of this year, they can take advantage of the ongoing government incentives for EV sales. This would allow for the sale of the Alfa Romeo Junior EV models, at a relatively attractive price as it will be exempt from excise duties. In Europe, the fully-electric Junior comes in at around 35,000 euros. That’s under RM170,000, putting it in Volvo EX30 territory. Currently, the Volvo EX30 sells above RM200,000 in CKD form. If an earnest effort is made by Stellantis and their partners, they could really make a splash with a sub-RM200K NEW and PREMIUM EV option to attract new customers and fans to the brand.
Later on, if the government grants CKD incentives for hybrid vehicles, perhaps the newly introduced Junior Ibrida Q4 would be an interesting option to bring in. This is a hybrid performance vehicle with an interesting all-wheel drive system. There’s a 1.2L turbocharged engine with 136 hp and two 21kW electric motors for a total combined output of 145hp sent through a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic. However this is where the brand will have to decide on its medium to long term strategy. It’s not easy to make waves in the premium segment nowadays, so waiting to see what the government decides to incentivize might be the best bet. Mirroring what Mercedes-Benz and BMW are doing at the GLC/X3 level might also be a good idea. The question is should Alfa Romeo go the Volvo Car route of offering more for slightly less money or offering more for more money like Audi tends to do here.
