Alfa Romeo’s long overdue SUV called the Stelvio has been caught on test again, this time closer to the brand’s test centre in Northern Italy. It is scheduled to go into production soon and will make it into showrooms early next year.
Interestingly, this forthcoming model won’t be the only Stelvio on sale in the motoring world given that there’s already a Moto Guzzi motorcycle carrying the same name. Alfa Romeo has paid keen attention to this model’s on-road manners and handling, and the Stelvio name is a strong hint that the brand is pleased with the results.
The Stelvio, in fact, will use a slight variation of the Giulia’s all-new architecture designed by Alfa’s engineers tucked away inside Maserati’s headquarters. Developed for both rear and all-wheel drive configurations, 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 BMW M5 rivaling Giulia flagship.
Earlier Alfa had plans to deliver eight cars off the same architecture by 2018. However, that has been pushed back until 2020. The original plan called for a large seven-seat SUV, a full-size sports luxury sedan, and Spider and Coupe versions of the Tipo 963 sports car. Replacements for the front-wheel drive Giulietta and the MiTo hatchbacks would flesh out the model line-up to eight cars.
