The Alfa Romeo Junior is attracting more women and younger drivers to the brand, becoming the model through which Alfa Romeo is reaching a different customer base from its traditional audience. Santo Ficili explained this in an interview with alVolante, saying the compact model now accounts for more than 50% of the brand’s total sales.
Alfa Romeo Junior attracts a new generation of customers
Alfa Romeo sells the Junior in 45 countries, compared with the 75 markets in which the brand operates, and the model also supports its international presence. As the entry point to the range, it helps Alfa Romeo reach buyers outside its more established European markets, even though the continent still accounts for most of the company’s business.
Europe represents around 80% of Alfa Romeo’s total volumes, with Italy playing a particularly important role. Ficili identified Mexico, Taiwan and Japan among the countries where the brand is growing most strongly, describing expansion outside Europe as a way to reduce its dependence on the continent.
The executive, however, rejects the idea of measuring the brand’s revival only through ambitious volume targets. The customers Alfa Romeo wants to attract choose its cars for driving pleasure and design, while also recognizing a connection with Italian automotive culture. The arrival of younger buyers and a broader female audience fits into that commercial strategy.
For future models, Ficili envisions cabins where physical controls continue to work alongside digital functions rather than giving way to an increasing number of screens. Instruments should face the driver, while frequently used functions need to remain easy to reach in order to reduce distraction on the road.
Even when Alfa Romeo shares technical foundations with other Stellantis brands, Ficili wants dedicated tuning. Suspension and steering setup should give each car a recognizable response, supported by wheels and braking systems suited to the model’s characteristics. Driving position forms part of the same focus on the overall experience, while still taking passenger comfort into account.
The Alfa Romeo Junior will remain part of the lineup even after the arrival of the brand’s next compact models. The Tonale successor is expected at the beginning of 2028 and will adopt styling elements from the Cuorerosso, which should also influence the future C-segment model. For the latter, “Giulietta” remains the internal project name while Alfa Romeo has yet to choose the final production name.