A lower-end variant of Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio SUV has made a rare television appearance in Italy alongside Fiat-Chrysler’s CEO Sergio Marchionne, ahead of its 2017 launch.
The first look at the upcoming entry-level variant SUV was captured by Italian news channel TG5 who covered the visit from Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to the Cassino factory floor. FCA’s CEO Sergio Marchionne and Alfa’s COO Alfredo Altavilla joined a pre-production prototype for the event.
The Stelvio is Alfa’s first foray into the highly-competitive luxury SUV market segment, dominated by the Germans. The Stelvio does however benefit from Alfa Romeo’s latest Giorgio platform, which Alfa invested $1 billion during the development phase.
The styling is one area that Alfa will certainly be able to take the fight to the Germans, with the Stelvio receiving a large portion of its front fascia and design lines from the Giulia sedan; it is expected the interior will too draw heavily from the Giulia’s design.
In terms of powertrains, Alfa Romeo has confirmed just one of the engines that the Stelvio will utilise, a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit producing 206kW/400Nm, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
If we use the Giulia as a comparison, the same engine and gearbox combination is used in the Veloce variant, with a 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel engine producing 154kW/470Nm also available. The Veloce variant has been designed as a ‘warm’ offering, before buyers opt in to the significantly more powerful Quadrifoglio (QV), which receives a Ferrari-dervied 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 producing 375kW.
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is set for a 2017 launch.
