Alfa Romeo could bring the city-friendly Junior to the U.S. after all

Unveiled in 2023, the entry-level Alfa Romeo Junior is beginning to reach dealer lots on the other side of the pond. While we were initially told that the model wouldn’t make the trip to our side, the Italian brand confirmed it’s asking dealers whether they want it.

“We will show the Junior Veloce to our U.S. dealers, asking them if they see potential for a fun-to-drive small electric hatch in select markets such as California, Florida, and other CARB states,” Daniele Tiago Guzzafame, Alfa Romeo’s head of product, told Automotive News Europe (subscription required). Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington are among the states that follow CARB rules.

EV sales are not picking up as quickly as many assumed, and the list of carmakers softening their EV targets is growing, but Alfa Romeo thinks the Junior — which was known as the Milano until the Italian government requested a name change — can win over select buyers. Its rivals would include the Volvo EX30, which was recently delayed, and the electric version of the new Mini Cooper. Both EVs are currently made in China, so they would be subject to a 102.5% tariff if sold in the United States, and production in Europe won’t start until 2025 for the Volvo and 2026 for the Mini. Alfa Romeo builds the Junior in Poland, meaning it would only need to pay a 2.5% tariff if it imported the model.

Beating key rivals to the market and skirting tariffs could give Alfa Romeo a “window of opportunity,” Guzzafame said. The question that remains is whether the Junior would appeal to an American audience. More of a tall hatchback than an SUV, it stretches about 164.2 inches long, 70.1 inches wide, and 59.1 inches tall, meaning it’s about 14 inches shorter than the Tonale many American drivers already consider small. And while the European range includes several models, including a hybrid, Alfa Romeo focused on the Veloce EV in its statement.

In this application, the heritage-laced Veloce nameplate denotes a 281-horsepower electric motor linked to a 54-kilowatt-hour battery pack. It delivers a 5.9-second sprint from 0 to 62 mph, but driving range is expected to check in at approximately 205 miles when tested on the cycle used in Europe, which typically yields higher figures than the American testing cycle. An EPA range of less than 200 miles is possible.

There’s no word yet on when Alfa Romeo will decide whether to bring the Junior to the United States.