Alfa Romeo Junior Q4 hybrid joins the ranks

YET to make an appearance Down Under, but expected to arrive mid-year, is the Alfa Romeo Junior small SUV in various petrol and electric denominations – including a red hot Veloce version with 207kW spinning through the front wheels and a just announced 4WD mild hybrid.

Local Junior pricing is unknown, suffice to say the model starts at €29,900 or roughly $A51,000 for the entry-level model in Italy with the 4WD’s kick off at €37,400 or roughly $A64,000.

Alfa Romeo is adding the four paw Junior to further stimulate demand as the new tiddler has proven somewhat popular at least in its home market Italy even though it’s made in Poland. It is no doubt seen by Alfa as a tonic for poor sales of the dated Giulia and Tonale.

Called the Junior “Q4” (Alfa’s name for all-wheel drive), the newcomer will be available in Europe mid-year, but GoAutowas unable to ascertain if the model will make it here or when with no response received from Stellantis Australia.

The Q4 system is lifted from the Stellantis Group’s Jeep Avenger and similar to that in Toyota’s Yaris Cross. It is a 48-volt mild hybrid powertrain using a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with two 22kW electric motors, one on the front integrated into the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (eDCT), the other on the rear axle running a new multilink rear suspension.

Alfa Romeo says the 4WD system in Junior Q4 “can deliver 4WD traction even when its 0.9-kilowatt-hour battery is depleted because, when needed, the electric motor on the front axle acts as a generator to deliver power to the rear motor”.

“4WD is permanently active on the Junior Q4 variant at speeds of 0 to 30km/h while at 30 to 90km/h the system only engages if the front wheels lose traction. At higher speeds, the car switches to front-wheel drive only,” it added.

The system is called Power Looping Technology.

Publication Automotive News reports the rear electric axle helps the Junior Q4 achieve CO2 emissions of 118 grams per km, marginally more than the FWD hybrid version of the car.

“We expect the Junior Q4 to cover a fifth of the model’s sales,” said Alfa Romeo marketing director Christian Fiorio at the unveiling of the variant in Turin last week.

This is optimistically based on the assumption that 80 per cent of customers for the Giulia mid-size sedan and Stelvio mid-size SUV buy the Q4 versions, the system accounting for only about 20 per cent of sales for the Tonale compact SUV.

After launching in September last year, the Junior’s current order bank stands at 27,000 from 38 countries with the BEV variant accounting for some 19 per cent of that number with sales aspirations at between 50,000 and 70,000 units globally.

After the first two months of 2025, Alfa Romeo has sold 5929 Juniors, making it the brand’s best-seller in the region and boosting its overall European sales 29 per cent to 9859 during the period, according to figures from market researcher Dataforce.

In mid-2024, GoAuto reported Stellantis Australia saying the handsome little Junior will make its Aussie debut in the second half of 2025, with both petrol and electric versions expected.

At entry level, the petrol-powered Junior features a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 48-volt mild hybrid assistance. It develops 100kW of power, put to the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. Add to this the all-wheel drive Q4 variant.

Two battery electric (BEV) Junior variants will also be offered from launch, a 115kW standard option and the high-output 207kW Veloce.

Both are front-wheel drive and feature a 54kWh lithium-ion battery pack. WLTP range is listed at up to 410km with a 100kW DC charging time of 30 minutes detailed for the 10-80 per cent standard.

As seen elsewhere in the Alfa Romeo range, the Junior features the brand’s unique DNA drive selector offering Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency settings.

In the cabin, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster sits ahead of the driver with a second 10.25-inch set central in the dashboard for infotainment duties. The infotainment screen controls most of the Junior’s ancillary functions, including the climate control.

The air vents are shaped in the Quadrifoglio (four-leaf clover) motif, while high-grade models score Sabelt sport seats.

LED ambient cabin lighting, sat nav, massaging seats with electronic adjustment, keyless entry and ignition, aluminium pedals, and Alcantara upholstery are also available throughout the Junior range.

Safety features include adaptive cruise control, AEB, front and rear acoustic parking sensors, lane centring assist, and a reversing camera.