• Alfa Romeo carried out a study that suggests people are tired of dating apps.
  • The Italian carmaker has teamed up with a relationship coach to create their own guide to dating.
  • Alfa is pitching the Junior Elettrica as the perfect companion for a first date.

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.