Alfa Romeo needs help, and the Jeep Avenger subcompact EV is coming to avenge its troubles. Parent company Stellantis is in the middle of swapping around different platforms to fill out some brands with fewer products than others. One of those brands is definitely Alfa Romeo. Though doing well in its home market of Italy, in North America. it is about down for the count. 

Will the U.S. get both the Jeep Avenger and Alfa Romeo version?

Jeep has been steadfast in its belief that the Avenger, which is the European Car of the Year for 2023, won’t come to the U.S. It went a step further with Jeep CEO Christian Meunier telling Tech Crunch last year, there is “no real market potential in North America,” for small EVs like the Avenger. 

In reality, it is actually Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng coming to Alfa Romeo’s rescue. The Avenger is based on the CMD platform originally developed by Dongfeng in 2018. EV models from Citroen, Opel, Peugeot, and the Avenger, all ride on the eCMD platform, which has been reworked to be the STLA-B electric platform. Now, it’s Alfa Romeo’s turn. 

Will this subcompact Alfa Romeo EV be a performance EV?

So it will carry over the 54 kWh battery, single motor, with 154 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. The range should then be the same at 250 miles. Right now, it is only for Europe, with a later release in Africa, according to the UK’s Autocar. 

We don’t expect it to look much like the Avenger. Alfa Romeo has its own design cues, which makes it an Alfa, even if it isn’t under the skin. And we doubt if Alfa will make any changes to the suspension or powertrain. Alfa Romeo’s ex-UK head has already said the company will move away from performance. “We want to move from an emotional brand down to a rational one,” he said.

How bad are Alfa Romeo sales?

While a sad statement, its performance cred is doing little to help it sell cars. Especially in the U.S., where sales in the first quarter of 2023 are down almost 30% from Q1 last year. This year it has only sold only 2390 vehicles. Based on those numbers, it won’t hit 10,000 vehicles sold. 

But if we are to believe what Alfa is saying, then this Avenger-based EV SUV won’t be coming here to help. And with only the Giulia sedan and Stelvio crossover to sell, it needs something, anything. There is a market here for subcompact EVs. And since the U.S. hasn’t gotten the Avenger, the platform an Alfa-version would be based on is unique to North America. 

Will Alfa Romeo fix its problems?

But Alfa seems to be its own worst enemy with its stance toward the U.S. We still don’t have the facelifted versions of the Stelvio and Giulia, and won’t be getting the Tonale until later this year. So Alfa has mostly let its North American sales suffer, looking to almost be an afterthought. 

Alfa still has time to fix some of the things broken in the U.S., but while we wait there are some very compelling new models that push it further into the shadows. We don’t wish to see that happen, but it is happening anyway.