The relaunch of Alfa Romeo has cost Fiat Chrysler Automobiles dearly. Speaking with analysts during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call, CEO Sergio Marchionne said the relaunch cost "in excess" of 2.5 billion euros (about $2.7 billion) so far. Back in 2014, FCA said it would invest 5 billion euros through 2018 to relaunch Alfa, though the timeframe has been pushed back to 2020. Alfa Romeo has also been losing money and will continue to do so until the full benefit of the Giulia and Stelvio hit.
To help curb costs, Marchionne told analysts that Alfa's Giorgio platform will be shared with other FCA brands; primarily Dodge, Jeep, and Maserati.
"The investment in Alfa Romeo and certainly the technical investment in the architecture was something that was designed to benefit more than Alfa. I'm happy that we have finally found clarity of thought in the extension of these architectures well beyond Alfa," said Marchionne.
Marchionne said Giorgio would underpin "the whole Maserati development beyond 2018," along with large Jeeps and the next-generation of Dodge's rear-drive models. As we have we reported previously, Giorgio will underpin the next-generation Charger and Challenger. Automotive News learned from a source that the platform will underpin the next Journey and Durango crossovers, and possibly a new midsize sedan. No information was given about Jeep, but it seems the next-generation Grand Cherokee is a safe bet.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
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