Alfa Romeo to develop large car in the United States

[July 29, 2022]  MILAN (Reuters) - Itay's Alfa Romeo will work on a new large-size car in the United States to be launched in 2027, the brand's head Jean-Philippe Imparato said on Friday, adding however the group had not yet decided where to manufacture it.

The logo of Alfa Romeo is pictured at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Imparato said the step was key to tailoring the design for overseas markets, helping Alfa Romeo to strengthen its position as the international premium brand of carmaker Stellantis.

"Our offer for a large size vehicle must fit international markets, American, Chinese, European," he said during a media call, a day after parent Stellantis released first half results.

Alfa Romeo is still assessing whether the new model will be an SUV, a crossover or a sedan but it will not probably be a classic large SUV, such as BMW's X5 or X6, Imparato said.

"We want to find the right mix," he said. "It's a decision we will take by the end of this year".

Imparato said developing the car in the U.S. did not mean it would be produced in the Nafta area.

"Producing in the U.S. is not something we have decided and it is something we don't want to decide now," he added. Alfa's two production sites are in Italy.

(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; Editing by Keith Weir)

[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.