Jeep Grand Cherokee Could Underpin Future Alfa, Maserati SUVs

Just the Facts:

• 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee could provide the donor platform for new SUVs from Alfa Romeo and Maserati.
• Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne made the comment during a conference call this morning with reporters.
• Marchionne also said the Grand Cherokee platform could support the use of Ferrari powertrains.

DETROIT — The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee could provide the donor platform for new SUVs from Alfa Romeo and Maserati, according to Fiat CEO Marchionne, who said the Grand Cherokee platform also could support the use of Ferrari powertrains.

In a third-quarter conference call Monday with reporters, Marchionne said the Grand Cherokee "architecture has legs and should be extended as much as possible." The platform is being shared with the new Dodge Durango.

Marchionne said, "I envision using the (Grand Cherokee) architecture for the benefit of Alfa Romeo and Maserati," adding, "the possibility of using Ferrari powertrains (with) the architecture is real." He said the Grand Cherokee architecture "is capable of handling much more powerful" engines, such as the Maserati 4.2- and 4.7-liter V8s that are built by Ferrari.

"This is a unique opportunity to use all work that has gone on inside Chrysler and extend it to areas (for which) the architecture was never intended," Marchionne said. He noted that the Grand Cherokee platform, which was jointly developed with Mercedes-Benz at the former DaimlerChrysler, is "quite capable" of supporting premium brands such as Alfa Romeo and Maserati. "We're in the first steps of that, but the indications are positive," he said.

Marchionne said an Alfa or Maserati vehicle based on Grand Cherokee underpinnings would look quite different from the Jeep range, but would still be an SUV. "We're not turning a toaster into an oven," he joked.

Neither Maserati nor Alfa Romeo currently offer an SUV, although both brands have shown crossover concepts in years past, including the Maserati Kubang from the 2003 Detroit show and the stunning Alfa Romeo Kamal that was unveiled at the 2003 Geneva show.

Earlier this year, when Fiat presented details of its future product plans to analysts and the media, it included a chart showing Alfa Romeo adding a D-segment SUV — in the same size class as the Grand Cherokee — to its product range in 2014. The Fiat chart indicated the Alfa SUV would be built in the U.S. on a Chrysler platform.

The companion future-product chart for Maserati did not include an SUV.

Inside Line says: If the styling of a Grand Cherokee-based crossover looks anything like the Kamal, Alfa Romeo could have a real winner. Sorry, we can't say the same for the Kubang. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent and Michelle Krebs, Senior Analyst and Editor at Large