Relaunching Alfa Romeo has been an expensive undertaking for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and the brand continues to hemorrhage cash while FCA scrambles to get the Giulia and upcoming Stelvio into driveways. While discussing the company’s fourth-quarter earnings, CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that Alfa was a financial vortex last year and will remain that way until Americans see more than just the occasional 4C cruising down the boulevard.
It cost a fortune to develop the Giorgio platform that underpins the new Alfa models — Marchionne claims FCA spent $2.7 billion on the relaunch. To recoup some of those expenses, the brand is going to share its fancy new bones with Maserati, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles.
Automotive News reports that Marchionne said Giorgio will become part of “the whole Maserati development beyond 2018,” as well as underpinning Dodge vehicles and some larger Jeep models. However, he didn’t elaborate on how large. Rumors about Giorgio replacing the aged LX platform have become increasingly common and typically include the caveat that the updated cars would be smaller in stature. If full-sized Chargers and Challengers would likely be scaled down to accommodate the platform after 2020, what does that mean for “larger” Jeeps?
Inside sources at FCA confessed to Auto News that the Journey and Durango will also make use of the platform — meaning the Grand Cherokee is likely as big as Giorgio will go.
Fiat Chrysler will be throwing the framework around rather liberally. Maserati will use a modified version of the platform on its models, including the next GrandTurismo, Alferi, Quattroporte and Ghibli, with the possibly of an entirely new midsize SUV. Alfa is planning eight new Giorgio-based models of its own and there is wind of an all-new midsized Dodge car, too.
“The investment in Alfa Romeo and certainly the technical investment in the architecture was something that was designed to benefit more than Alfa,” Marchionne said. “I’m happy that we have finally found clarity of thought in the extension of these architectures well beyond Alfa.”
In 2014, FCA claimed that it would invest 5 billion euros into Alfa Romeo and expand its annual sales volume to 400,000 units by 2018. Facing troubles over brand’s relaunching, Alfa delayed that timeline to 2020 and abandoned any specific volume targets.
[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]
Isn’t the Cherokee already on an Alfa platform?
They said Grand Cherokee.
the point is that Alfa and Jeep sharing a platform isn’t news.
This is promising. I don’t think they will have to shrink the LX cars down… though if they do, you won’t feel it in the trunk/passenger compartment. If they actually make good on this rumor with a Giulia based Charger….. oh boy. But remember there is a 5 series fighter coming out above the Giulia, so it’s not like they don’t have room to grow. Question that stems from that for me is what becomes of the Ghibli?
Speaking of updates, it’s probably high time for them to bring the HEMI into the 21st century too. Follow GM’s lead and get an aluminum block and direct injection. They already know how to do OHV VVT as demonstrated in the Viper. It’s high time… if FCA wants to sell cars anywhere outside of the US/Canada they gotta get with the times.
FCA is not spending anything to update the V8s for the next gen. The 5.7L is being replaced by a turbo-6, the 6.4L will rumble along as a legacy engine for trucks, and the 6.2SC will be a carryover.
This makes a lot of sense. The 5.7 in particular doesn’t really have any advantages over competing turbo sixes and has a drinking problem. The 6.4 and Hellcat are so low-volume (except in HD pickups) that they can just be kept around as is without any meaningful compliance effect.
That’s a bummer, but fair I guess. Closest GM car comparable to the Charger with the LT-1+8AT is the Camaro and it only gets 1 MPG better total fuel economy. Turbo 6 could work I suppose but it’s gonna be a bummer to not be able to get that V8 rumble on the cheap in a smaller package. I don’t think a current Charger will fit in my garage.
The 5.7L will stick around longer than you think. Low warranty cost, low cost to produce and competitive performance will keep it in the trucks for a while yet.
GTDI 6 cylinders don’t have much if any advantage to consumers but are a lot costlier.
The 5.7L HEMI already has VVT and MDS. Direct injection and a lighter block would be nice, though. I believe the 6.4L and supercharged 6.2L do not have VVT, however.
5.7 is a gem of an engine, and cheap to manufacture. Wouldn’t surprise me if it sticks around for many years especially with potential impending changes to the EPA.
Giorgio is the new K. We can only afford to develop 1 platform per decade, so everything is going on it.
That’s what Sergio SHOULD have said, but of course he couldn’t. Instead it was, “…we have finally found clarity of thought…”, *chortle*.
More baloney and BS from one of the great conmen of our times. FCA is not to far from taking the big dirt nap. their products are unreliable and poorly made. Just sold my promaster 2500 and just after the 36k warranty ran out the bills for repairs started coming in. Sold the van and will never buy a FCA product ever again. Loved the van but it was not built for long life with their existing caravan powertrain. Just too much weight for a minivan powertrain. something has to give.
Bought a gmc 3500 diesel and rav4 hybrid. love them both and i am sure they will be there for the long haul.
To counter that, we have a Promaster at work that is used as a commercial transport for handicapped people. The driver had already worn out a Toyota and V10 powered full sized bus. It has held up reasonably well with the only issue being the wheelchair lift and the door alignment done by the conversion company. Of course, it has only a little over 30k miles so maybe it will fall apart in 6k miles.
Did your Promaster have the driver’s side door hinge problem? I hate the Promasters working as a fleet manager, the doors would always have the same problem at the exact same place, the electrical system were straight Italian (something doesn’t work today!) and I’d have to fight with Enterprise, whom we rented them from that all this was FCA’s fault and not ours.
“Alfa Romeo and Jeep Will Share a Platform to Save FCA Some Dough”
I suspect they also share their quality control process.
Please, FCA, go away and die already. Nobody wants your junk.
When you lather on the lipstick so thick it cracks, you know you’re finished. The U.S. Government didn’t want to save Chrysler for a good reason.
“Nobody wants your junk.”
Yeah, FCA sold 2.2 million cars and trucks last year because “nobody wants them.”
Internet Car People like you are as clueless as you are shrill.
JimZ, the general tone of everything you post sounds like the ramblings of an individual perpetually experiencing PMS.
Anyways, FCA is such an outstanding company with insane profits and critically-acclaimed reliable vehicles and they built new factories to increase production of class-leading Dart and 200. Oh, wait.
Fanboy haterade conjecture. I suppose we all need to wobble in order to be seen as knowledgeable critics.
The quality gulf between a Lexus and a Fiat is small in terms that matter to consumers. Less than 1 “problem” difference in 3 years
Yup, it’s either the Democrats/Republicans/Internet critics/David Miscavige (take your pick here) that are biased against FCA and that’s why the 500L has the lowest resale value of any vehicle in America and why most Cherokee owners swore they wouldn’t buy another one with the profligate quality issues that they’re suffering with. I mean, quality and reliability has to be THAT bad since the Cherokee is a pretty nice vehicle. Hell, I rented one last year and loved it so much that I seriously considered buying a Cherokee until looking at owner forums and owner reports, I didn’t think it was a good idea or even wondered why I should be subjected to Sergio’s vehicular Hunger Games where it’s either I have a great car or a rolling turd on wheels. It’s 2017 and everyone else has figured out how to do consistent quality.
Or why even the managers at the Enterprise my company rents from curse when they get more Promasters and Promaster Minis since they end up with problems than their counterparts from Ford and Nissan don’t.
Really not that different than the VW group MQB platform which will be the base of all of their vehicles by 2018-2020.
Well, it’s different from the OLD Giulia platform that was stretched and widened into Dart and 200, and jacked up into the Compass/Patriot. This is a NEW, more ADVANCED platform to stretch and widen and jack up.