Fiat-Chrysler has plenty of problems at the moment. And it will take lots of marketing money for Alfa Romeo to win an appreciable number of customers who tend Teutonic: despite all of its buzz, the Giulia was handily outpaced by its German benchmarks in August.
But on curb-appeal, Alfa is crushing it—and more importantly, it has a promising third act. In the next few weeks, U.S. dealers will start taking delivery of hundreds of its first SUV. Dubbed the Stelvio after a mountain pass in the Alps, Alfa’s utility pod comes with paddle-shifters standard and starts at $42,000. The brand expects it to outsell the Giulia with ease.
Alfa declined to grant an interview for this story and has been cagey about sales goals. Still, if it keeps its current pace, 2017 should be a year for the record books.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.