Alfa Romeo is currently set to make a comeback over here in Malaysia as early as January 2025.
Alfistis rejoice, as it has just been confirmed that Alfa Romeo is coming back to Malaysia! The iconic Italian brand has unfortunately said arriverdverci to us over here over a decade ago now, but they are set to make a comeback locally this year!
Now unfortunately however, the fact that Alfa Romeo is set to make a comeback is about all that has been confirmed regarding its return to Malaysia thus far. Though if credible industry insider rumours are to be believed, the Italian marque might just be landing locally by the time Chinese New Year rolls around.
What more is that if going by those same word on the street that is, while Alfa Romeo is currently part of the wider Stellantis umbrella of brands, the Italian marque will not be distributed locally by Stellantis Malaysia. It will instead apparently be managed by ‘a new distributor with a management team that has decades of automotive sales and after sales experience’, and will thus be getting its own dedicated set of showrooms around the country, distinct from the shared Peugeot and Leapmotor (and eventually Citroen) outlets over here.
Those expecting an Alfa Romeo dealership to eventually pop up at every street corner will however be somewhat disappointed, as its local distributors are apparently to be going down the Suzuki route of only opening a few outlets nationwide for the foreseeable future. This thus also indicates that the Italian marque is not exactly to be aiming for mass market appeal over here, and the (all but likely fully-imported) models it eventually debuts locally will be reflecting that.
And as for which models Alfa Romeo is currently planning to premiere locally, even the whispers on the grapevine have unfortunately fallen silent on this aspect. That said though, the Junior compact crossover is almost a shoe-in for an imminent Malaysian debut.
Launched internationally early last year, the Junior is currently available elsewhere in the world with either a front-mounted electric motor or 48 V mild hybrid petrol engine under the hood. The smart money is however currently on the EV being the launch candidate, with it all but likely to positioning itself as the sexy Italian alternative against the likes of Volvo’s EX30 and smart’s #1.
Another near-certain Alfa Romeo that will be arriving over here is to be the Junior’s bigger brother, the Tonale. This small SUV was to be the Italian marque’s first-ever electrified model when it debuted in 2022, with it currently available internationally in both mild- and plug-in hybrid guises. Though the variant that will most likely land locally later this year is the hot Veloce, which packs under the hood a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot making 268 hp.
In finally addressing the question that is on every Alfistis mind meanwhile, there is the (albeit slim) possibility for Alfa Romeo to bring in the Giulia or Stelvio Quadrifoglio too. Both these high-performance flagships of the Italian marque would however naturally cost a pretty penny when it arrives over here. But hey, at least those who can afford them would be able to sleep easy in the knowledge that they will be offered with a (much-needed) official warranty.
