Alfa Romeo's X3-fighting crossover is on track for a 2016 launch - Digital Trends
Alfa Romeo isn’t known for its punctuality, but Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has confirmed the storied Italian automaker remains on track to launch its first-ever crossover next year. The soft-roader is known as Project 949 internally, and rumor indicate that it could be dubbed Matta, a name last used on a Jeep Willys-like off-roader that Alfa built in limited numbers for the Italian army during the 1950s. Regardless of what... What it will look like is anyone’s guess at this point, but preparation work has been completed so we’ll likely see the first preproduction test mules out and about in the next few months. From launch, the crossover will be available with a Ferrari-built turbocharged V6 massaged to send 503 horsepower to all four wheels via either a six-speed manual transmission or a dual-clutch automatic. Production will kick off in Italy next summer, and the first Alfa-badged crossover is tentatively scheduled to make its public debut in a little over a year at the Paris Motor Show. Further down the road, Alfa will launch a flagship sedan that will be aimed right at the BMW 5 Series, and a bigger crossover designed to take on the Munich-based company’s X5. Clearly, Fiat is trying to position Alfa Romeo as an Italy’s answer to... Source: www.digitaltrends.com
