In a bizarre turn of events, rather than focusing on developing replacements for the aging Stelvio and Giulia, it appears the storied Italian automaker is instead trying its hand at the dating scene. The pitch? That the Junior Elettrica is the perfect segue to a romantic date.

According to its research, which comprises a 1,000-member sample size of people actively dating in the U.K., 60% of daters are tired of their dating apps. The solution? Go on a drive. Again, based on Alfa’s own research, 44% would prefer to go on a drive or a day trip versus the traditional dinner and drinks.

Read: Alfa Romeo’s Junior Has Some Appeal, But It’s Not The Smart Choice | Review

Fear not, singles. Because Alfa Romeo has partnered with Kate Mansfield, a dating and relationship coach, to craft the “Love Thy Romeo” guide to dating in real life, and not from behind a screen. Mansfield is apparently outstanding in her field, and specializes in helping women move from those pesky apps to a real-life connection.

It’s an odd development for a car company, sure. But then, we’ve seen weirder, and we suppose Alfa Romeos are often associated with passion, right?

A Ploy For The Junior

Now, obviously, we’re not really suggesting that Alfa has diverted its R&D budget away from replacements (even if the lineup is beginning to look a bit aged a la Chrysler) into creating a dating guide. What’s actually happened is it spent some of its marketing budget on something a bit different, if a bit odd.

But the way the Junior is being shoehorned in as the perfect road-trip companion is what makes it especially entertaining, with Jules Tilstone, Managing Director, Alfa Romeo UK, saying: “Junior Elettrica is the perfect date companion for a romantic escape, combining performance with passion and style, rooted in its Italian DNA.”

We’re not convinced, and it’s got us thinking: what might be the perfect car for that long, romantic road trip? A few suggestions we’ve come up with: perhaps a classic R107-generation Mercedes-Benz SL500, with that smooth, torquey V8 and the wind in your hair. Or, if you wanted to keep the Italian passion front and center, how about the Pininfarina-designed Fiat 124 spider. New or old, we’d probably take either of these over the electric Alfa.

Let us know what kind of vehicle you’d choose for a first-date getaway.

Changes are coming to Alfa Romeo’s entry-level car for 2027, though this time the badge on the tail isn’t looking for a new home. The Junior, which was originally called Milano before the Italian city objected to its use on a car built in Poland, benefits from some upgrades that promise to give it a more premium feel.

New 18-inch three-hole, and 19-inch four-hole alloy wheels help you spot one of the upgraded SUVs from the outside, though the biggest changes are found inside. And not just on the more expensive variants. Junior and Sprint trims head into MY27 with new ‘Icona’ upholstery that mixes black fabric seats, gray stitching and black Scuba material across the dashboard, console and door cards.

Related: Alfa Romeo’s Mystery Concept Looks Like A Low-Slung Supercar

Step up to Ti or Veloce spec and you upgrade to Alfa Romeo’s ‘Carbon’ interior. Scuba fabric is used again, but this time with red stitching and details and a new Microcloud material on the dash and doors. What you won’t find, despite that name, is any carbon trim, but these upgrades might offset criticism that the Junior’s cabin has always felt a bit low rent for something wearing a premium badge.

A load of extra standard equipment ought to lend an extra hand in that department. Sprint versions look like the sweet spot in the range now that they come with navigation, keyless entry, adaptive cruise, a reversing camera, wireless phone charging and blind-spot monitoring. But the Ti’s heated, powered and massaging seats, and ambient lighting will surely help open a few wallets wider.

Elettrica EV Holds The Performance Card

What Alfa hasn’t messed with is the mechanical package. Base Junior Ibrida models still feature a 143 hp (145 PS) 1.2-litre, mild hybrid engine in front-wheel drive, or Q4 all-wheel drive forms. The Junior Elettrica EV makes 154 hp (156 PS), but only drives the front wheels. Top dog is another EV, this one the 276 hp (281 PS) Junior Veloce, which relies on a sportier suspension tune and a mechanical limited-slip differential to help its front end handle the extra muscle.

Tonale Tweaks

The brand already upgraded the Junior’s Tonale big brother – Alfa’s base model for the US – and you can read about those changes, and why the model might soon be axed, here. But it’s only thrown a few teaks the way of the geriatric Giulia SUV and Stelvio sports sedan. By rights both of those models should have been replaced by now, but the planned replacements were EVs and in the wake of falling electric sales in the US Alfa was forced to go back to the drawing board and come up versions that could also take combustion power.

Giulia And Stelvio Tread Water

We won’t see those new Giulia and Stelvio models until at least next year, by which time the pair will be 12 and 11 years old. To keep potential buyers interested while we wait, the current models gain updated software and driver monitoring kit required by EU law, black and white Alfa Romeo badges and a new Anodized Blue paint option. Hardly, the kind of thing to worry BMW when it has a brand new 3 Series and i3 EV ready to ship to dealers.

But the new M3 and X3 M are a year or two away, and you can still buy both Alfa Romeos in 520 hp (513 PS), 2.9-liter V6 Quadrifoglio guise. Go for the hot Stelvio Quadrifoglio and you now get 21-inch wheels instead of 20-inch rims, while buying either of the QVs unlocks a day’s on-track training at the Alfa Romeo Driving Academy.

All of these Alfa updates will be on display at Alfa’s Paris Motor Show Stand, though they might not get much attention. The brand has teased a new concept for Paris called the Cuorerosso (image below) that looks like a low-slung supercar, and it’s sure to dominate the conversation.

Alfa Romeo