We'll make crossovers not SUVs, says Alfa

Jeep builds SUVs, Alfa Romeo crossovers. So says the man behind the look of the new Alfa Romeo Guilia and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' head of design, Lorenzo Ramaciotti.

Speaking at the brand's revamped headquarters at Arese on the north-western outskirts of Milan on Wednesday night, Ramaciotti confirmed FCA's renaissance brand will launch two high-riding vehicles within its current product horizon. But he was also at pains to define the vehicles not as SUVs but CUVs – crossover utility vehicles.

"It is very clear Jeep makes SUVs. It is very clear Alfa Romeo does not call them SUVs, we say CUV. We think of them more as crossover rather than sport utilities," Ramaciotti told motoring.com.au.

"It is a type of vehicle you must have in your portfolio to be successful in markets like China, so we must have them," he stated.

But more than just pumping volume, Ramaciotti believes the crossovers can fit the brand values of the new Alfa Romeo.

"There are already examples on the market, like the Maserati Kubang [Levante], where you can make a good compromise between the stance and practicality of a CUV with the dynamic shape of a sports vehicle," he commented.

Perhaps delivering a clue to the size and layout of Alfa's first CUV, Ramaciotti offered Porsche's Macan as an example of "a very nice looking sports crossover".

"And also Mercedes has shown something similar recently," he said, referring to Benz's recent unveiled GLC concept.

Ramaciotti confirmed the larger of Alfa Romeo's two vehicles would slot in under the Maserati Levante – the production vehicle that draws on Kubang for its inspiration.

"In terms of size, the large size CUV is covered by the Maserati. Alfa Romeo will place its [largest] CUV below that," he told motoring.com.au.

That will make Alfa's biggest SUV – spied here in testing hidden beneath a modified Fiat 500L-body – a direct rival for not only the Macan and GLC, but BMW's X3 and the top-selling Audi Q5.

But neither the scale of the international demand for crossover type vehicles, nor the size of the new Alfa soft-roader, will mean it will move down-market.

"The [Alfa Romeo] brand has to be in the premium segment and we want to compete against the premium manufacturers.

"We don't want to compete in the mass market [with] average cars," he said.

Expect Alfa's first SUV – based on the same 'Giorgio' platform as the Giulia – to go on sale in Europe in late 2016 and, as the company has already confirmed, for it to spearhead Alfa's US market relaunch in 2017.