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Alfa Romeo’s Tonale NFT certifies a car upon purchase and then records and keeps data during the vehicle’s lifespan. Italian carmaker Alfa Romeo has unveiled its latest vehicle, the Tonale SUV. The firm claims that it is the first in the industry to connect each vehicle to its own blockchain-based token, which can keep track of the car’s whole life cycle.

One of the most distinctive features of this SUV is that each car is linked to an accompanying nonfungible token (NFT). The Tonale NFT, according to Alfa Romeo, certifies a car upon purchase and then simply records and keeps data during the vehicle’s lifespan. Francesco Calcara, head of global marketing and communication at Alfa Romeo, said: “Upon customer’s consent, the NFT will record vehicle data, generating a certificate that can be used as a guarantee of the car’s overall status, with a positive impact on its residual value.”

Automobile companies are increasingly investing in the NFT market, which is forecasted to reach $240 billion by the end of the decade — minting unique collectible digital tokens that are sometimes included with vehicle purchases. Blockchain is now being linked to everything from real estate deals to sports fan engagement tokens. NFTs have recently generated headlines as businesses race to get on board with this new technology.

Other luxury car makers such as Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz have experimented with NFTs. Lamborghini, for example, launched its first NFT project, “Space-Time Memory,” a set of five pictures showing a Lamborghini Ultimae going into space. Mercedes-Benz recently teamed up with Art2People to develop a limited-edition Mercedes-Benz NFT collection inspired by its G-Class vehicle lineup.