The Italian brand's smallest and most affordable SUV will arrive in a matter of months to try and arrest Alfa Romeo's sluggish sales in Australia.
Alfa Romeo Australia will expand its line-up with the 2025 Junior small SUV landing in the third quarter (July-September) this year, competing against the Lexus LBX.
Two versions have been confirmed so far, a petrol-powered mild-hybrid known as the Ibrida and an all-electric Elettrica, although overseas a Speciale and Veloce are also available.
Powering the former is a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with 48-volt assistance technology, paired with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, for a total output of 100kW/230Nm.
Meanwhile, the latter features a single electric motor with a 115kW/260Nm punch.
Both versions send drive exclusively to the front wheels.
Fuel economy in the Ibrida is a claimed 4.1 litres per 100km on the less-stringent NEDC standard, while the 0-100km/h sprint is dispatched in 8.9 seconds, according to Alfa Romeo.
The Elettrica is a touch slower to 100km/h, needing 9s to hit the landmark triple digit time from a standstill, while its 54kWh battery is good for a 407km driving range on the WLTP protocol.
With fast-charging available up to 100kW, the Junior EV can recoup 10-80 per cent of its battery in around 30 minutes, according to the Italian brand.
Regardless of powertrain, both versions will mirror each other for equipment at launch, with highlights including 18-inch alloy wheels, LED Matrix headlights, a two-tone exterior with black roof, powered tailgate, and rear privacy glass.
Inside, there is a cloth and leatherette trim, power-adjustable front seats, single-zone air conditioning, wireless smartphone charger, and dual 10.25-inch screens for the digital instrument cluster and infotainment.
The latter also has support for wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, digital radio, and in-built satellite navigation.
The 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior is also fitted with a wide assortment of advanced driver safety systems such as autonomous emergency braking (AEBO, front, rear and side parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and lane departure warning.
However, standing the Ibrida apart from the Elettrica are steering wheel paddle shifters and dual exhaust outlets.
Six exterior colours will be available at launch, including White Sempione, Black Tortona, Red Brera, Blue Navigli, Arese Steel, and Galleria Light Grey.
Australian pricing will be announced closer to the Alfa Romeo Junior’s on-sale date, where it will join the Giulia, Stelvio, and Tonale in showrooms.
Last year, Alfa Romeo notched 561 sales in Australia, down 21.6 per cent. In the first two months of 2025, it has achieved just 75 sales, dropping 52.5 per cent year-on-year.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
