A HUGE INVESTMENT
The fearsome emphasis on quality is being overseen by PSA Group veteran Sandrine Gredelu, who worked at the Rennes and Poissy plants, latterly overseeing the Citroën C5 Aircross and Peugeot 5008 models.
She acknowledged to Autocar that the Tonale approach is something of an experiment within Stellantis, as the attention to detail goes further than it would for a mainstream brand, but that comes at a significant cost, and such an investment needs to be paid back.
One of the new mantras of the plan is to “never receive, produce or receive a defect”. The three-pronged approach comprises the suppliers not sending defective parts, the Alfa factory not introducing defects and the buyer not receiving a defective car.
Perhaps the biggest realworld test for any aspiring premium brand is to have the confidence of the used car market three years down the line. Alfa boss Jean-philippe Imparato told Autocar that the quality and durability of the Tonale production cars will be examined closely after three years and 37,000 miles.
“I have a high sense of responsibility [with the Tonale],” he said. “This is a huge investment for Alfa.”
It’s also one that will have to be seen to be paying off under the hard-headed leadership of Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares.