Alfa Romeo is a brand known for its sports cars, racing cars, and devilishly handsome coupes and saloons. It's not been known as being all that family-friendly, but that is about to change in a big way.
As Alfa starts to enter the electric age (as a brand, it will be fully electric by 2027) it's also looking to broaden its appeal beyond those with misty-eyed memories of Fangio and Vaccarella and start appealing at least equally to families and women. It will become a brand as much about common sense as about passion, in other words.
Child-friendly accessories
You can see that kicking off with this new Edizione Bambini version of the just-launched Tonale crossover. It's a family-sized SUV with built-in accessories designed to make undertaking long journeys with kids easier.
Open up the 500-litre boot and you'll find a built-in baby-changing unit. According to Alfa, a survey by leading baby product brand Huggies revealed that 86 per cent of parents have had to change their baby's nappies on the move, including while in the car. Frankly, we're surprised that the percentage is that low...
The changing unit slides out from the parcel shelf and has a custom-made, easy-to-clean changing mat. When you're done, it just slides neatly away again.
Up front, there's a series of extra storage trays designed to fit snugly up against the backs of the driver and front passenger seats. They come with a drinks holder, a bento box for snacks and a rattle-free pen holder. Alfa reckons that 44 per cent of parents (in the UK anyway) use a reward chart to motivate their children, so the seat tidies also feature two large pockets with a chart for each child to encourage them to keep the car tidy. Good luck with that...
Seat protection
Mind you; these are really nice seat tidies - they're made of grey leather with a stitched-in Alfa Romeo logo, so while you're teaching the kids to tidy up, you can also be inculcating them with misty-eyed memories of Fangio and Vaccarella...
Better yet, Alfa knows just how annoying it is to get the lash of a muddy foot in the back of your seat, so the design incorporates protective panels 'to help maintain their premium finish.' The Alfa Romeo research revealed that children typically kick the back of the front seats 3.5 times per journey, the little gurriers...
That same research showed that 43 per cent of parents find not being able to see what their child is doing a source of stress when driving. So, the Tonale Edizione Bambini has an in-car child monitor camera, which connects to your smartphone and can be positioned for front and rear-facing child seats. Obviously, that's for use only by a front-seat passenger when you're on the go.
A bin and a vacuum
Boredom (ARE) is (WE) the (THERE) biggest (YET!?!?!?!) enemy on a long journey with kids, so the Edizione Bambini comes with tablet holders fitted to the backs of the front seats and a foldable central toy tidy, while children sitting in the middle seat also have their own leather folder which can hold both a tablet and their own reward chart.
There's also a six-litre touchless lid bin, which is fitted to the central rear floor, and which will hold all those sweet wrappers or tissues, and there's a car vacuum, stowed on the boot floor and charged via the integrated 12V socket on the move.
Finally, out the back, there's a boot organiser, which concertinas up for stowing away when not needed, and which features a cleaning bag which fits neatly into one of the compartments and comes with a range of products to keep both children and the car clean, including a boot cleaning brush, leather cleaner, tissues and wet wipes.
Julie David, Managing Director, Alfa Romeo UK, said: "With so many parents understandably struggling to keep their car tidy, the Tonale Edizione Bambini provides practical solutions which fit in seamlessly with the premium interior in the Tonale - proof that having children doesn't have to mean sacrificing your car's style. With a choice of sophisticated hybrid powertrains, a striking design and innovative technology, the Edizione Bambini is further proof that the Tonale is ideally suited to family life."