Fiat Chrysler Automobiles->ke30 has big plans for Alfa Romeo->ke1386 now that the brand's direction has been set. Determined to bring Alfa back to profitabilty, the Italian auto conglomerate is looking for help within its ranks, namely that of Ferrari->ke252.
Fiat's plan is pretty clear now that interest in the Alfa Romeo 4C->ke3773 has increased attention to the entire Alfa line. It's out with old and in with the new, it seems, now that plans to develop a whole spate of Alfa vehicles are in the horizon. The plan includes a new line of rear-wheel-drive sedans->ke142 and SUVs to supplement the 4C with a target date set for 2016.
But there's more, or at least Fiat has more in store for Alfa other than the new standard model lineup. High-end versions of Alfa Romeo will also be produced, and that's where Ferrari comes into the picture.
Reports indicate that these models will use engines developed by Ferrari with the intention of building more performance-oriented vehicles besides the 4C. Could there be an Alfa supercar in the future?
No word on that yet, but Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has made no bones about his intention of turning Alfa around. And with the company boasting more resources now that Chrysler is in the mix, the time has come for all that planning to come to fruition.
It's now or never for Alfa Romeo and with it comes an all-hands-on-deck attitude for the entire company. Everyone's going to get involved to bring the company back from the dead, and with six new Alfas planned for the next five years, the plans are finally being set into motion to see whether Alfa still has some juice left on it.
Click past the jump to read more about the future Alfa Romeo SUV
Plans for an Alfa Romeo SUV has been on the table for the past few years. But like anything to do with Alfa Romeo in that time, one delay after another happened.
This time, though, it looks like Fiat is finally set to put all its Alfa eggs on one basket with an SUV model now in the pipeline.
With Chrysler now part of Fiat, expect the upcoming Alfa Romeo SUV to be based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee with an eye towards competing against the likes of the Audi Q5->ke1666 and BMW X3->ke255.
Likewise, the SUV is likely to be offered in both front-drive and all-wheel drive variants, while engine lineup will include a 1750 TC GDI that delivers 200 horsepower, a 2.0-liter JTDm diesel unit with 140 horsepower and a 3.3-liter variant of Chrysler’s Pentastar V-6 engine that deliver a total of 275 horsepower.
There's still no timetable as to when the SUV will arrive, but at this point, reports that it's back on the table is as good a news to have of it as we can get.