Alfa Romeo is getting ready to reveal its new Milano electric crossover on April 10th, but in the meantime, the first prototypes of the car are being put through their paces at Alfa's legendary Balocco test track.
In use since the early 1960s
The track has been home to Alfa's road and race car development since the early 1960s. If you can think of a famous Alfa Romeo - from the original Duetto Spider to the 33 Stradale to the Alfasud, 75, 155, 156, and more recently, the 4C, 8C, Giulia, and Quadrifoglio models - they were all developed here at Balocco.
Now it's the turn of the Milano, which shares its chassis and electrical architecture with the likes of the Jeep Avenger and Peugeot e-2008. That should mean that it gets the same 400km range from a 54kWh battery using a 156hp electric motor, but the job of Alfa's test team at Balocco will be to ensure that with all that shared tech, the Milano still drives and feels like a proper Alfa Romeo.
Thanks to the images released from the development session, we can see that although the Milano is heavily disguised for now, it does get a bonnet with what appears to be a large 'power bulge' in the centre, as well as distinctively rounded corners, which will help to separate it from the much more square-shaped Jeep.
The essence of the car
The team is being led by Domenico Bagnasco, who's in charge of vehicle dynamics and validation - what Alfa calls 'the essence' of the car. Bagnasco's career includes the development of several Alfa Romeo sports cars: the memorable 8C, the brutal 4C, the legendary Giulia GTA, and many more.
According to Alfa Romeo, Bagnasco's team is: "Focused on outstanding dynamics, with targeted and specific interventions on the suspension. The aim remains unmistakable driving dynamics, based on direct and extremely precise steering geometry, to guarantee quick cornering with a high level of grip."
Expertise from the Giulia and Stelvio
In overall charge of the whole Milano project is Stefano Cereda, who helped to put the Giulia and Stelvio diesel models into production, and who worked on the 'Giorgio' rear-wheel drive platform that underpinned both of those cars.
The technical development of the Milano is led by Luigi Domenichelli, an expert Italian engineer tasked with integrating and validating all the vehicle subsystems in terms of performance, durability, and comfort.
Will all of their efforts result in a compact electric car that looks and feels properly Alfa-ish? We'll find out soon.