Maserati readying Alfa Stelvio-based SUV

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne has confirmed that Maserati will introduce its second SUV and it will be based on an Alfa Romeo platform.

Created to sit below the current Levante SUV in the famous Italian car-maker's range, the new unnamed small SUV will be on sale by 2020 and is being introduced to help raise volume from this year's expected 50,000 annual sales to around 80,000 units.

The announcement that a smaller SUV is on the way was reported by Automotive News, which said Marchionne confirmed the new model on a telephone call to financial analysts following the release of Maserati’s third-quarter earnings.

As well as confirmation a new Maserati SUV is in the pipeline, Marchionne told the analyst that it would be based on the same Giorgio platform that underpins both the Giulia and Stelvio SUV -- although the FCA boss said it wouldn't share engines and transmissions with Alfa.

Set to go head-to-head with SUVs like the Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-PACE and the Audi Q5, the new Maserati SUV is expected to be both more luxurious and pricier than any of its rivals.

Maserati sales continue to benefit from the introduction of the Levante, which helped push third quarter earnings by 10 per cent to $US133 million ($A173m), but it's not all good news. During the call to the analysts, Marchionne was forced to admit that Maserati was slowing production of its first-ever SUV to "align output with the market demand".

It's not been confirmed if the new Maserati SUV will be manufactured at the Italian car-maker's Modena or Turin manufacturing facilities or if it will be assembled at Alfa's state-of-the-art Naples-based Cassino facility where currently both the Stelvio and Giulia are built.