Alfa Romeo’s roll out to the North American market has been a slow process. Their current offerings, the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV, have been lauded by critics but aren’t exactly racing of dealer lots.
Fighting a historical reputation for poor reliability, Alfa has faced an uphill battle. Being under Fiat-Chrysler’s struggling banner hasn’t helped them make a huge impact. Despite their racing pedigree, it may be that their sexy Italian swagger doesn’t fit into a marketplace that trips over itself for bigger and dumber trucks.
Still, the storied nameplate keeps pushing through (a story about an Alfa refusing to give up seems…counterintuitive. Nevertheless.) A seven-passenger SUV is in the works, but the company has indicated that their looking to capitalize on the burgeoning crossover market. Utilizing the same drivetrain of the aforementioned offerings, the wee-CUV will be naturally rear-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive an almost certain option.
Stepping up directly against the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, the lil Alfa is expected to drop in the next three years, and is part of the brand’s efforts to move 400,000 units by 2022. It’s expected to come with electric drivetrain options, though details are still slim at this point.
A crossover seems like a sure thing for Alfa Romeo. Their greatest strength is their styling, and the curvature of a CUV seems like the perfect canvas for the Milan-based stylists to do their thing. Whether they’ll be able to stand next to the next-gen Hyundai lineup remains to be seen.
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[…] the early 2000s, the Fiat Group was burning through cash like an Alfa Romeo burns through oil. The year Marchionne took control of the company, Fiat had already lost $7 […]