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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 showcasing opulent Levante options in New York

Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley said last year that it was a mistake to pair Maserati with Alfa Romeo because it suggested Maserati was a mass-market brand. Now on its own, this year the house of the trident begins to unfurl its luxury wings. The Ghibli, Quattroporte, and GranTurismo Convertible will be on hand, but focus rests on the Levante SUV for the New York Auto Show. Maserati plans North American debuts of its One of One Customization Program and the brand-exclusive Pelletessuta interior designed by Ermenegildo Zegna. One of One ushers Maserati buyers into the same realm of possibilities that BMW's Individual or Porsche Exclusiv does for those German brands, the standard over the gateway reading, "Anything is Possible." Up to now, the GranTurismo - the carmaker's second-oldest offering - has offered the greatest range of customization. Yet those stock choices in hue and finish pale when compared to One of One's "thousands of interior and exterior options" wrought by "Italian artisanal craftsmanship." As Maserati did in Geneva when debuting the program, a celebrity will visit the New York show stand to take delivery of "their never seen before" One of One Levante GTS. The general population gets the keys to the One of One program "in the near future." The other show car will be a bronze Zegna Levante S Q4 GranSport with the new Pelletessuta woven Nappa leather interior. Said to be a lightweight material created by the Italian fashion house, both durable and comfortable, Pelletessuta will only be available in Maseratis. The carmaker seems to have done us a disservice by posting photos of the material in black, or perhaps they're trying to lure us to the show to see it for ourselves. The new leather won't be available in North America until spring of 2020, so if your mind had already begun considering a calico-cat-matched One of One interior in a Gattara-colored Ghibli, it's going to be a minute.

Maserati gives us our best look yet at its Grecale small crossover

Maserati's second SUV, the Grecale, is nearly ready to make its debut. The company took advantage of a visit by Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares to release some of the most revealing photos of the model we've seen to date. While the Porsche Macan-fighting soft-roader remains fully draped in camouflage, we see enough of its front end to tell there's a wide, low-mounted grille with vertical slats and almond-shaped headlights located higher on the fascia. We'll hold our judgment until the Grecale is unveiled, but we're starting to see what Klaus Busse, the head of Maserati's design department, meant when he told Autoblog the MC20 would have big influence on future models. Viewed from the side, even with Tavares standing in the frame, it's clear that the Grecale's proportions were drawn with more of an emphasis on sport than on utility. Its front end is relatively long, its dash-to-axle ratio hints at the rear-wheel-drive platform underneath, and its roofline has more slope than the average kid-and-dog-hauling Ikea warrior. Earlier spy shots taken near Maserati's headquarters suggest the rear end wears horizontal LED lights. Unverified rumors claim the Grecale rides on an evolution of the Giorgio platform that Alfa Romeo's Stelvio (one of the better-handling crossovers on the market) and Giulia models are built on. Some reports warned the architecture would be phased out, but Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato suggested they're not accurate. If the Grecale is indeed Giorgio-based, it will likely come standard with rear-wheel-drive, and it will be offered with all-wheel-drive at an extra cost. Engine options remain unconfirmed; four- and six-cylinders can easily fit in Giorgio-based cars. Maserati will finish fine-tuning the Grecale in the summer of 2021, and it will present the model before the end of the year. When it lands, the Grecale will slot beneath the Levante as a taller alternative to the Ghibli. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.