Fiat appears interested in making the most of Chrysler’s paltry product dowry by using one of the Pentastar’s promising future products, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, as the basis for a new Alfa Romeo SUV. Although at this point our inside sources remain little birdies and voices telegraphed via cups on a string, the notion of an Alfa SUV makes some sense for a brand not satisfied with its current share of the European market, and with designs on returning to North America.
Actually, the pump has been primed for an Alfa ute in Europe for years. Not only are Europeans familiar with the Grand Cherokee, which has been sold there for some time with both gas and diesel engines, but Alfa’s product planners can also study Grand Cherokee customers’ buying patterns to get a step ahead in developing powertrain and equipment packages. The Alfa likely would be offered in Europe with Chrysler’s new 280-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 engine, as well as a diesel or two. Given the carbon-obsessed EU regulatory structure, the Hemi V-8 is unlikely to be found under the Alfa’s hood. It is also unlikely that the Alfa would offer the full spectrum of the Jeep’s whiz-bang off-road features; rather, we would expect it to be better suited to on-road performance so as to take on the BMW X5, VW Touareg, and Mercedes-Benz ML (the latter, incidentally, provides a good portion the 2011 Grand Cherokee’s underpinnings).
As for its U.S. prospects, we think it would play a key role in fleshing out a full Alfa Romeo product portfolio here if and when the Italian automaker makes more of an effort to get involved in the U.S. market than merely dropping off a handful of quarter-million-dollar 8C Competiziones to a few (very lucky) aristocrats.
This rendering is proof that not all forms of fabulosity are scalable, at least according to some folks around the C/D offices, who think the Grand Cherokee looks positively sexy in comparison. Others actually like the Alfa’s looks. But before arguments erupt as to this potential model’s styling, it must be remembered that our unofficial drawing is based on speculative information as opposed to verified information from Alfa. However, should the company apply the same sort of design that works beautifully on cars as varied as its MiTo subcompact and the scrumptious 8C, this could be a close predictor of the final product.
While the styling elicits controversy among our staff, we’re universally displeased with the proposed name: CXover/A. It doesn’t quite have the same sexy ring as Competizione, Brera, Milano, or Giulia, does it? Really, how does one say “C-X-Over-Slash-A” in Italian?
Thanks to: Car and Driver