Alfa names its SUV

Finance darling and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles boss Sergio Marchionne has finally christened its long-awaited SUV, a year after it was due in production.

Marchionne told a workers’ meeting at an Alfa Romeo production plant that Alfa will call christen its crossover the 'Stelvio', and it is scheduled to start production in the final quarter of 2016, slated for sale in Europe early in 2017.

It has been developed under the production codenamed of Tipo 949 D-SUV, while the Stelvio name has been given to the SUV crossover in homage of the famous mountain pass in the northern Italian Alps.

The Stelvio Pass sneaks along the Italian side of the Swiss border before turning north into southern Austria. Stelvio is also the name of a popular Italian cheese, an Italian National Park and a composer.

Marchionne also used the visit to the Stabilimento Fiat di Cassino plant to confirm the much-delayed Giulia would finally start production there on March 14.

Alfa has been insistent throughout the SUV’s development that while it would be a competent SUV, it would focus on being best-in-class in on-road ability, and the Stelvio name is a strong hint that Alfa is pleased with what it’s finishing up with.

Pictured here in a rendering, it will use the higher-riding, all-wheel drive variation of the Giulia’s all-new architecture, designed by Alfa Romeo engineers tucked away inside Maserati’s headquarters.

Designed for both rear- and all-wheel drive powertrains, the architecture gives Alfa the ability to fit the Stelvio with a range of four-cylinder and V6 petrol and diesel engines.

There will also be a Quadrifoglio Verde version, boasting the same twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine as the similarly named Giulia flagship.

While there were plans for Alfa to deliver eight cars off the same architecture by 2018, those plans have been pushed back until 2020, though sources at Alfa insist the company has not started development work on any of the other promised models.

The original plan called for a larger, seven-seat Tipo 962 C-SUV, a full-size sports-luxury sedan codenamed Tipo 941, along with Spider and Coupe versions of the Tipo 963 sports car. Replacements for the front-drive Giulietta and the MiTo hatches would flesh out the model line-up to eight cars.