Alfa Romeo’s new Junior Ibrida has arrived at the Paris Motor Show after confirmation that the hybrid compact SUV will go on sale in the UK alongside the all-electric version.
The Junior is Alfa Romeo’s entry-level model and although pricing hasn’t been revealed yet for the Ibrida version, it could feasibly lower the car’s entry point to less than £30,000. The Jeep Avenger e-Hybrid costs £9,000 less than its EV alternative, meaning a starting price of just under £25,000 for the Alfa isn’t out of the question when it reaches UK showrooms next year.
The Ibrida’s hybrid set-up features the same base mild-hybrid powertrain used by Stellantis siblings including the Peugeot 2008, Jeep Avenger and Vauxhall Mokka. This matches a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a small battery and an electric motor, with a total output of 134bhp and 345Nm of torque. Power is sent through a six-speed automatic gearbox, with a 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds (0.1 seconds quicker than the Junior EV). Fuel consumption stands at 54.3mpg with CO2 emissions of 117g/km.
The look of the Ibrida is almost identical to the all-electric ‘Elettrica’ model, although as standard the Ibrida will come in the ‘Speciale’ edition. There’s a new interpretation of the Scudetto grille with ‘Alfa Romeo’ script, dual exhaust tips, 18-inch “Fori” alloy wheels and ‘Bera’ red paint.
Along with a dual 10.25-inch screen layout on the dash, the interior features a leather steering wheel and Sabelt sports seats as standard, plus eight-colour ambient lighting on the air vents, central tunnel, and the driver’s display. Level 2 autonomous driving, in-built sat-nav, a 180-degree rear camera, a powered bootlid and keyless entry are all included. One interesting quirk of the MHEV Junior is that it’ll come with up to 415 litres of boot space, rather than the 400 litres offered by the pure EV; we suspect the EV’s battery packaging is the differentiator here.
The Ibrida’s trim level structure is expected to begin with a base Ibrida, followed by an Ibrida Speciale and possibly even a sporty Ibrida Veloce to top off the line-up.