2024 Alfa Romeo Visconti compact SUV firms for Australia

Alfa Romeo has dropped the first teaser of its upcoming new light SUV and called for its fanbase to try and guess what the pint-size electric runabout will be called.

Without wanting to spoil the fun, we reckon we’ve got to the bottom of the puzzle already and anticipate the new model will be dubbed the 2024 Alfa Romeo Visconti, judging by the cryptic but poignant social media teaser released by Alfa overnight and a recent trademark filing submitted to IP Australia by FCA Italy S.P.A.

The teaser was posted to Alfa’s key social media channels overnight but it doesn’t show any part of the Italian sister model to the upcoming Jeep Avenger.

Instead, a series of what look like surging red blood cells form the faint outline of a crowned serpent, specifically the Visconti serpent – a legendary emblem long associated with the Visconti family and, later, Alfa Romeo’s home city of Milan.

Car buffs will recognise the man-eating snake from Alfa’s historic logo, which pairs with the central element of the famous city’s flag: a red cross.

This admittedly niche piece of knowledge should be more than enough to stir up agreeance from our readership, but more weight is added to the argument by the December submission of the ‘Visconti’ nameplate with IP Australia.

Manufacturers submit trademark applications with international intellectual property offices all the time, but often that’s simply to protect a name for later use and it doesn’t always mean they have immediate plans to launch the given nameplate in that particular market. However, the timing of trademark filings can indicate there is indeed something afoot.

The Visconti application wasn’t published until late March and was filed exclusively under Class 12 (land vehicles; motor vehicles), but its original submission date (Dec 2, 2022) pre-dates any of the pre-launch hype generated by either Alfa Romeo itself or via industry leaks.

Set to share the majority of its bones with the Jeep Avenger and yet-to-be confirmed Fiat 600, Italian executives have confirmed the Alfa Romeo Visconti will serve as the baby of the brand’s global model portfolio – confirming rumours the retired MiTo hatchback would be succeeded by an SUV.

Details are predictably thin on the ground for now, but it’s clear the Visconti will be launched with a heavy emphasis on battery-electric technology and urban sportiness.

“While the Tonale stood for the brand’s ‘metamorphosis’ as its debut in the world of electrification, Alfa Romeo’s upcoming car is serving as its debut full-electric,” said Alfa in a statement.

“The new Alfa Romeo model is due to debut in the first half of 2024, although it’s already the talk of the town and expert automotive designers are coming up with various hypotheses on the web in relation to its style canons.”

Odds are the Visconti will draw power from the same 54kWh lithium-ion battery as the Avenger, offering an effective driving range of around 400km on the WLTP cycle, but it’d be fair to assume the top-spec version will pair higher outputs than the Jeep’s 115kW/260Nm with a decidedly more athletic aesthetic.

There’s no indication yet from local Alfa executives as to if or when the Visconti will be available in Australia, however, a reveal in the first half of next year points to a late 2024 or even early 2025 arrival Down Under – provided it gets the green light for our market.

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