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Alfa Romeo Tonale Jeep-derived crossover reportedly delayed by new CEO

Alfa Romeo's long-awaited Tonale crossover might not make its global debut in 2021 after all. Its launch has reportedly been delayed because the firm's boss wasn't satisfied with the proposed plug-in hybrid drivetrain. Anonymous sources familiar with the company's product plan told industry trade journal Automotive News that the Tonale won't begin arriving in showrooms until the first part of 2022 at the earliest, a delay of at least three months. It was tentatively scheduled to enter production on the outskirts of Naples, Italy, in October 2021. While setbacks aren't uncommon, the same sources claim the soft-roader's postponement was ordered by Jean-Philippe Imparato, who was appointed Alfa Romeo's chief executive in January 2021 when FCA merged with PSA to form Stellantis. Formerly at the head of Peugeot, Imparato demanded better performance from the hybrid powertrain that will be offered on some variants after seeing the Tonale for the first time in January 2021. Whether he wants additional electric range, more horsepower, or both remains to be seen. Alfa Romeo hasn't released technical details, but Automotive News reported the crossover will be closely related to the Jeep Compass, so it could get its American cousin's gasoline-electric plug-in technology. It consists of a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor mounted over the rear axle. The system's total output checks in at 190 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque, though a 240-horse variant of the drivetrain is available on more upscale trim levels. Electric range is rated at 31 miles at up to 81 mph, and hitting 60 mph from a stop takes 7.5 seconds, a respectable figure for the segment. Another point that's unclear is how engineers will improve the Tonale's numbers. Making tweaks to Jeep's 4xe powertrain is an option; borrowing components from the Peugeot-Citroen parts bin is another, though the latter solution is more difficult to implement than the former. Less than a year away from production, even with the delay taken into account, the Tonale is mostly locked in. Photos taken during a design clinic (pictured) suggest it has changed significantly since we discovered it as a concept in 2019. Redesigning the engine bay to accommodate a different four-cylinder or reengineering the structure to fit a bigger battery could cost millions of development dollars.

Force India: 'Door still open' for Aston Martin partnership

Force India says a partnership that would bring Aston Martin back to Formula 1 remains a possibility for the future, despite talks last year failing to produce a deal. The Silverstone-based outfit had hoped to tie up a partnership with the British sportscar manufacturer for 2016, but in the end the discussions fell through. However, while the matter is off the table for this year, Force India's COO Otmar Szafnauer says his outfit is still hoping that it can resurrect the idea and bring Aston Martin on board for 2017. "I don't think the answer is no," Szafnauer told Motorsport.com. "It was just for 2016 we won't be collaborating. But we will have further discussions later on with Aston to see if there is a possibility for future years." Rules key Szafnauer said that the talks with Aston Martin had been "serious", but thinks that key to completing an agreement will be in F1 delivering a platform of rules that entices the manufacturer in. "For 2017 there is still a possibility and the door is still open," he said. "We will reconvene again and see if there is any possibility for the future. "There were just some decision-making points that were unknown at that time. And they just needed more time to see what the sport was doing about the engine and some other things. "They need to have some of those answers before they can make that decision of entering Formula 1 or not. And only time would give them those answers." When asked if finalized 2017 regulations would be a help, he said: "Well, that's one of the things. "So when those 2017 regulations are sorted out, everybody knows and then people can make decisions like: 'Do I like them or not?' "But if you're trying to guess what those are, than people say: 'Oh, let me wait and see.' That is exactly one of the reasons. To understand what the regulations are going to be in 2017." Related Video: This article by Jonathan Noble originally appeared on Motorsport.com, the world's leader in auto racing news, photos and video.

Jay Leno drives James Bond's new Aston Martin DB10

With only ten examples made exclusively for use in the latest James Bond movie, the Aston Martin DB10 is exceedingly rare. So we counted ourselves as fortunate to have seen one up close at Pebble Beach this past summer, and another on a recent visit to the UK. But Jay Leno has done one better. For the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage, the former talk show host and consummate car collector had Aston's design chief Marek Reichman stop by with one of the DB10s built for the filming of Spectre, which will hit theaters in just a few weeks. Reichman and company actually let the denim-clad celebrity drive the thing on the open roads around his warehouse. That's something that only a few people (namely Daniel Craig and his stunt doubles) usually get to do. Fortunately, Leno being the world-class showman that he is, he and his crew caught the whole experience on video, and you can see the results in the sixteen-minute installment above. Of course this isn't the first Aston that Leno has had by the garage and driven. Nor is it even the rarest, for that matter, having previously hosted the one-of-a-kind CC100 speedster concept almost exactly two years ago. But as far as harbingers of things to come, the DB10 will likely go down in history as a turning point for the company, which is on the verge of launching a whole new lineup based on new architecture and components and with a new design language previewed by the vehicle you see here. Related Video: