2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Rwd on 2040-cars

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A few more details on Alfa Romeo's subcompact electric crossover for 2022

Last October, Alfa Romeo gave us a few details on a revised four-car lineup to be in place by the end of 2022. With the demise of the Giulietta later this year, the Giulia and and Stelvio would be the only models to carry on. Those two will be joined by a C-segment crossover in 2021 that we know as the Tonale, and a B-segment crossover in 2022 that we don't know much about, but that came with the asterisk, "BEV Variant Available." Autocar has begun putting together pieces of the electric model with a little help from Alfa Romeo. The mag expects the brand's fourth product to be around the size of a BMW X1 and ride on a PSA Group platform, specifically the Electric Common Module Platform (ECMP) already used by cars like the Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall e-Corsa. The size and expected specs make us wonder if the BEV crossover would make it here. We get the ICE-powered BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, but we don't get the Audi Q2. The powertrain in the e-2008 puts an electric motor on the front axle with 136 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque, powered by a 50-kWh battery pack. Maximum range is 193 miles on the WLTP cycle, which could be considered a low bar for the American market even before factoring in the range reduction when tested on the EPA cycle. The Alfa won't be a re-branded Peugeot, though, with an automaker spokesperson telling Autocar the Italian automaker pledges to "stay consistent to Alfa Romeo’s sportiness and use electric motors for a performance approach." That could mean slightly more output from the motor, without compromising a comfortable ride. It will definitely mean switchable sound creation that aims "to get emotion from both the driver and car." We know Alfa Romeo will release the same crossover with an internal combustion engine, which we'd expect to sit on Peugeot's CMP bones, a likelier proposition for sales in North America. The subcompact won't simply shrink the look of the plug-in hybrid Tonale (pictured in concept form), but will have its own personality. “A family feel will be respected," the rep said. "We have style themes across the range – but we donÂ’t want to do a copy and paste across the lineup, because every segment has its own personality. ..." Unless there's another reboot before 2022, these four models will be the team Alfa Romeo plans to ride to 400,000 annual sales, more than three times the automaker's global sales in 2018.

Alfa Romeo will gain a Jeep Compass-based SUV

It was reported earlier this week that FCA would invest into its Italian factories to ramp up production at currently underutilized locations. Those plans have now been clarified with official information from FCA, as reported by Automotive News. The entire investment is worth $5.7 billion. First of all, Alfa Romeo will gain a new compact SUV based on the Jeep Compass architecture. The still-unnamed model will be available as a plug-in hybrid, and it will be built in Pomigliano, Italy. No U.S. availability has yet been announced, but it would not be odd to see the Compass-based model sold below the Stelvio in the States. The last time Alfa Romeo had anything similar in its model portfolio was when it offered Crosswagon-badged four-wheel-drive versions of the 156 and 159 wagons. As for the Jeep Compass itself, it will begin to be built at the Melfi plant in Italy. The rumored small "baby" Jeep slotting under the Renegade has not yet been officially mentioned. Fiat will introduce a battery electric 500, built in Turin, and the Pomigliano plant that will make the compact Alfa Romeo SUV will also be used to build a mild hybrid version of the Panda city car. The 500X will gain a PHEV variant. The Stelvio platform will also spawn a corresponding SUV for Maserati, and FCA also mentioned Maserati will introduce a new, unnamed model it will make in Modena. Automotive News quotes Italian press as saying this will be the Alfieri coupe and convertible, also offered as battery electric versions. Related Video:

Maserati Grecale and Alfa Romeo Tonale delayed

MILAN — Maserati on Monday delayed the launch of its new Grecale SUV until the spring of 2022 from November this year due to a global chip shortage. The announcement by the luxury brand, part of Stellantis, comes as a shortage of semiconductors forces automakers around the world to slow or suspend production. Maserati said its decision stemmed from ongoing disruptions in the supply of parts. "In particular, due to a scarcity of semiconductors, production volumes would not adequately meet expected global demand," Maserati said in a statement. A global premiere for the Grecale, which will be produced in Cassino in central Italy, was initially scheduled for Nov. 16. Stellantis this month also confirmed it would present the Tonale, the new Alfa Romeo SUV, next March after it had been expected at the end of this year. Stellantis, formed this year though the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, has halted production at several plants, including in Europe and Canada, due to the chip shortage. It has forecast it will produce 1.4 million fewer vehicles this year. The FIM-CISL union has said the impact of a semiconductor shortage on Stellantis' Italian production this year will be worse and longer-lasting than the damage to output caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Related video: