Tuesday, 9 November 2010 at 11:52, Bloomberg
Fiat SpA, encouraged by the success of Chrysler Group LLC’s redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee, may use the sport-utility vehicle’s platform for Alfa Romeo and Maserati models, the companies’ chief executive officer said.
Chrysler, the US automaker controlled by Fiat, introduced the updated Grand Cherokee earlier this year.
“One of the things that we are now looking at in some detail is the possibility of utilizing this architecture and extending its application for additional products both within Chrysler and outside Chrysler for the Fiat brand,” Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of both Chrysler and Fiat, said today on a conference call.
Fiat, based in Turin, Italy, owns its namesake brand, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati as well as a 20 per cent stake in Chrysler that it acquired during the US automaker’s bankruptcy last year. Marchionne said Fiat and Ferrari wouldn’t use the Jeep platform.
The Grand Cherokee’s architecture could be used for the higher-priced Alfa Romeo or Maserati brands and could handle stronger powertrains, Marchionne said.
“It’s a little bit of a Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher situation,” said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with IHS Automotive in Lexington, Massachusetts. “It’s kind of a curious mix, yet by all appearances it seems to be working.”
An Alfa Romeo or Maserati based on the Grand Cherokee could compete against BMW’s luxury SUVs in the US market, she said.
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