Jeep Renegade to spawn Alfa Romeo crossover

Sales will begin by 2022.

In June 2018, Alfa Romeo announced plans to introduce an entry-level crossover by 2022. Pietro Gorlier, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles' chief operating officer for Europe and emerging markets, has revealed the yet-unnamed model will ride on familiar underpinnings.

Gorlier explained Alfa Romeo's next high-riding model will share its front-wheel drive platform with the Jeep Renegade and the Fiat 500X, according to Motor Authority. This contradicts earlier reports claiming it would ride on a shrunken version of the rear-wheel drive Giorgio platform found under the Giulia. The two crossovers will also share some mechanical components, including the gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid powertrain that the Renegade will inaugurate in 2020. Building Alfa's second crossover on an existing platform and using existing components when appropriate will keep costs in check during the development process.

Alfa Romeo will position the crossover in the same segment as the Volvo XC40 and the Lexus UX. Gorlier didn't confirm that the model will be sold in the United States but bringing it on this side of the pond would make sense considering the segment's popularity. Sales will begin by 2022, according to the firm's product plan.

The entry-level model will be joined by a bigger SUV built on a stretched version of the rear-wheel drive platform that underpins the Stelvio. The long-rumored crossover will compete in the same segment as the Mercedes-Benz GLE and the BMW X5. And, to leverage the benefits of economies of scale, Alfa Romeo will give Maserati access to the Stelvio's chassis for a crossover positioned below the Levante.

Photo by Ronan Glon.