The designer of Alfa Romeo Junior (Milano) proves that it is not only for alfa lovers.

The design director of Alfa Romeo since 2021, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, spoke to Spanish journalists to give some information about his work at the head of the brand. Chance to take lots of interesting information, especially about the new Junior.

The Junior is the first project created 100% by his team. “The project had already started when I joined the team, it was July 2021, but we were able to take it and do what we wanted to do in terms of design.” He confirms that it is a car that he made in a very short time. “I arrived in July 2021 and at the end of the year the design was finished (…) Fast because we wanted to put it on the market as soon as possible. We had to sell fast the new Alfa Romeo together with the Tonale.

So he insists the need for a scientific approach in an industrial environment where economic and technical considerations often dominate the pure art of design. “Aerodynamics, the weight and the cost of the equipment used are today the three factors that most affect the design and reduce our work, but we are facing them, things that must also be approved by the regulations set by Europe, which are increasingly strict and difficult (…) I have been going through this situation for 20 years. I worked for the Volkswagen and Renault groups where this practice of synergy has been so common for so many years that I am used to these restrictions. We are designers, not artists.

Despite this industrial synergy, The Junior retains distinctive Alfa Romeo features. “We wanted to maintain the physical relationship between man and machine. For us, it’s important. We didn’t want touch controls,” says Mesonero-Romanos. This design choice reflects the desire to maintain the authentic driving experience valued by brand enthusiasts. In addition, the inclusion of a 10-inch multimedia screen directed at the driver, although considered too low by some, shows this convergence between ergonomics and modern technology. The three plus three lights will also be the hallmark of future Alfa Romeos. On the Tonale and Junior they are used as daytime running lights (DRL) “on the Stelvio and Giulia, I can tell you that we will do that too, but in a very different way”.

L’Alfa Romeo Junior vise introducing the brand into previously unexplored market segments, by replacing the MiTo and Giulietta models and targeting potential customers from competing brands such as Mini or Audi. “With this car, we want to attract customers who do not have Alfa Romeo today. I am sure that we will win customers from Mini or Audi,” says Mesonero-Romanos.

The innkeeper-Romans board egalement the electric future of the car with some force: “In short, when it comes to design, I don’t care if it’s an electric car or a coal car. “. The designer wants to attract a young audience, without losing the enthusiasm of the Alfists: “Here, we are all contaminated by car culture, and the history of the car, but we must remember that this is not the case for the common man. (…) there is also a generation of young people. Now I have two daughters, aged 20 and 19, and we have to think about these people. Maybe they are still too young to afford such a model, but a car like this would be on their bucket list. Young people do not know the history of Alfa Romeo. »

“That Junior one of the four projects we completed in two and a half years. Even this started before the 33 Stradale. As for future models, the Spaniard confirmed that the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Alfa Romeo Stelvio models are already finished and will see the light of day in the coming months. These will combine parts of the brand’s historic cars with current features, such as the Junior and the coda trunca. It is an element that completely cuts off the air flow (…) So this is something that we will see in the next Alfa Romeos.

Sources: elespagnol, okdiario…