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It’s his grand finale.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO Sergio Marchionne announced the ambitious five-year plan his team will implement to ensure the momentum he created continues after he retires in 2019. He’s betting big on Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Maserati while scaling back ambitions for Fiat and Chrysler.
Here are the important product- and technology-related takeaways from FCA’s presentation.
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Jeep
Jeep plays a starring role in FCA’s five-year plan. It’s a company with an immense growth potential and, importantly, it’s not a regional player like Fiat and Chrysler are. The brand covers about 80% of the global SUV market in 2018. An array of new products will allow it to compete in every segment of the market by 2022.
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What’s coming?
Jeep will launch two new cars per year until 2022. It will renew or replace core models like the Renegade, the Cherokee and the Grand Cherokee. It will also begin building a Wrangler-based pickup truck inspired by the CJ-8 Scrambler of the 1980s (Pictured: Autocar's artist impression).
The roadmap calls for the launch of an entry-level model positioned below the Renegade, a Cherokee-sized three-row aimed at America’s version of the Volkswagen Tiguan, a bigger three-row SUV sold alongside the next Grand Cherokee and a flagship, Range Rover-rivalling SUV set to revive the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer nameplates.
We know the Wrangler-based truck will arrive in 2019. Jeep hasn’t provided a precise time frame for its other new models.
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Expanding Jeep’s reach
Jeep’s expansion goes beyond new additions to its portfolio. The firm will broaden its reach by launching a trim level named Desert Hawk envisioned to deliver a blend of off-road prowess and high-performance driving; think of it as Jeep’s spin on the formula that created the Ford F-150 Raptor. Jeep will place the name on the same level as the current Track Hawk and Trail Hawk badges.
In the presentation, FCA announced a Desert Hawk-badged Cherokee with eight desert-specific engineering standards. Sales will begin in the first quarter of 2020. Desert Hawk models will carry a premium of up to US$10,000 (about £7500).
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the yet-unnamed sub-Renegade model will take Jeep in a decidedly more urban direction by placing a stronger emphasis on fuel efficiency and connectivity than ruggedness. Brand officials identified China as one of the model’s main markets.
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What’s leaving?
Jeep is one of two brands outlined in FCA’s presentation with plans to keep every current model through 2022. The move makes sense. The global SUV market is expected to grow by up to 25% by 2022 to 40 million units. Jeep needs more SUVs, not less.
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Maserati
Maserati became FCA’s flagship brand when the group parted ways with Ferrari. It wasn’t ready for its new role. Damaged from years of chronic underinvestment, Maserati has moved slowly to expand its presence in the market's most lucrative segments. FCA promises to accelerate the model offensive in the next five years.
Sales nonetheless increased from 6000 units annually in 2012 to 50,000 units in 2017. An array of new models and new technologies will help the brand reach the 100,000-car mark by 2022, according to FCA officials. Looking ahead, it sees itself as a credible alternative to Porsche and Tesla.
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What’s coming?
Maserati confirmed plans to bring the 2014 Alfieri concept to production as an electrified sports car. Offered as a coupe and as a convertible, the model will ride on an aluminium spaceframe with a fully modular chassis. Maserati promises an electric version with a long range – though it didn’t provide a numerical figure – and a quick recharging time thanks to 800V battery technology similar to what Porsche will roll out on the Mission E. At least one plug-in hybrid option will also be offered. The Alfieri will perform the 0-60mph sprint in about 2sec in its fastest configuration.
The model offensive will also include a mid-size SUV aimed at Porsche’s Macan. The yet-unnamed car will boast a 50-50 weight distribution, best-in-class handling and an available plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Maserati will replace the Quattroporte and the Levante before 2022. Both models will offer an available petrol-electric plug-in hybrid powertrain and a battery-electric option. Finally, the Ghibli will benefit from a mid-cycle update.
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What’s leaving?
Maserati will stop making the GranTurismo and the GranCabrio in order to make space for the two Alfieri variants. Where Maserati will position its new sports car in terms of price and size remains unclear at this point. They might land as direct replacements for the current two-door models or they might compete in a slightly different segment.
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Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo teetered on the brink of collapse for years. FCA finally decided to build up the brand as Italy’s answer to BMW and significantly expand its presence outside of Europe. The transformation began with the launch of the Giulia and the Stelvio. It’s set to continue in the next five years.
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What's coming?
Image is of utmost importance for a performance brand. To that end, Alfa Romeo will resurrect the 8C nameplate for a range-topping, mid-engined supercar built on a dedicated carbonfibre chassis. A twin-turbocharged 700bhp engine will power the rear wheels while an electric motor will zap the front axle into motion. Alfa promises a 0-60mph time of under 3sec.
The born-again GTV will slot far below the 8C as a two-door alternative to the Giulia. Alfa promises a 50/50 weight distribution, a 600bhp powertrain with an electrified boost, all-wheel drive and seating for four. The coupe will be joined by a new Giulietta and two SUVs positioned on either side of the Stelvio.
In China, Alfa will follow the path blazed by its German rivals and introduce long-wheelbase variants of the Giulia and the Stelvio.
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Electrifying Alfa Romeo
Alfa, like all of FCA’s brands, is beginning to integrate electrification. It outlined three levels of electrification: an electric turbocharger, a standard hybrid powertrain and a plug-in hybrid option. The product plan does not call for the the launch of a pure electric Alfa Romeo in the next five years.
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What’s leaving?
As Autocar previously reported, the MiTo will soon retire without spawning a successor. Both variants of the 4C will get phased out to make space for the GTV and the 8C. It’s also interesting to note Alfa’s product plan doesn’t include the long-rumoured, 5 Series-sized saloon many thought would fill the gap left by the 166.
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Ram
Ram, FCA’s truck brand, aims to continue closing the gap that separates it from arch rivals Ford and Chevrolet in North America. The firm will chase the popular F-150 Raptor with a TRX variant of the all-new 1500, it will return to the mid-size segment it left when it stopped making the Dakota in 2011 and it will renew its heavy-duty 2500 and 3500 models in 2019.
The five-year product plan also announces the next-generation ProMaster City, a model known in Europe as the Fiat Doblo. The ProMaster (a re-badged Fiat Ducato) will carry on with no major changes.
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What's leaving?
Ram, like Jeep, has no plans to phase out models in the coming years. It’s not planning a massive expansion, either, but it will continue to build the last-generation 1500 pickup (pictured) for buyers who want a cheaper, more basic alternative to the new truck announced at the 2018 Detroit motor show
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Electrification
All of FCA’s brands are currently playing catch-up when it comes to electrification. That will change over the next five years, if everything goes according to plan. Electrification options (including plug-in and mild hybrid powertrains) will become available across the entire Jeep line-up by 2021. Maserati will introduce four electric cars while Alfa Romeo eyes a fully-electrified line-up with six plug-in hybrids.
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Diesel
As it embraces electrification, FCA has started the process of eliminating diesel engines from its portfolio by 2021. Jeep, Maserati and Alfa Romeo pledged to be diesel-free by 2022. Ram has not made a similar commitment, which signals it will continue to offer diesel engines in its trucks in the foreseeable future. Even in Europe, FCA will continue to make diesel-powered commercial vehicles after 2021.
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Connectivity
In 2019, FCA will launch a subscription service that gives buyers access to its vehicles for a flat monthly fee. It will include three tiers called Good, Better and Best, respectively. Participants will be able to purchase insurance through the service and select how often they want to choose a new car.
Additionally, the group will begin testing an in-car purchasing service in 2019. Motorists will be able to use their car’s touch screen to buy movie tickets, pay for parking or pay tolls, among other goods and services. FCA stresses it will roll out the technology through a pilot program to gather data and feedback from users before taking it mainstream.
FCA hasn’t commented on availability, though it’s focusing its efforts in the realm of connected cars on the American and Asia-Pacific regions.
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Autonomy
FCA will make sizable investments to bring semi-autonomous driving technology to all of its brands in the next five years. Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Maserati will offer level three autonomy by 2022, meaning the driver will be able to take his or her eyes off the road in certain circumstances. Ram will settle for comparatively basic level two (hands-off) technology.
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What about Fiat?
FCA largely ignored Fiat, one of its namesake brands, during the presentation. Marchionne briefly announced the 500e -- a compliance electric car made to satisfy California lawmakers -- will return in 2020 as a battery-powered version of the next-generation 500. He also revealed the return of the 500 Giardinera, a city-friendly estate that could morph into Fiat's answer to the Mini Clubman.
We expect that, in the long term, the brand’s line-up will shrink to just the 500 family and the Panda, signalling the end of the line for the Punto (which will get axed soon), the Tipo and the 124 Spider. Rumours suggest the Fiat brand will exit the American and Chinese markets in the coming years due to slow sales.
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What about Chrysler?
Chrysler isn’t faring much better than Lancia. It resignedly exited the European market and wholly depends on America for survival. Its international footprint isn’t big enough to keep it afloat.
Its line-up is reduced to the 300, an ageing saloon, and the Pacifica, a competent car unfortunately jettisoned in a declining segment of the American market. Though FCA didn’t mention Chrysler during its five-year plan, a spokesperson for the company shot down the recent rumours claiming it’s about to be mothballed. We wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a US-only brand, though.
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What about Dodge?
FCA also left out Dodge. Its future looks stable. Nothing is official at this point, but insiders point to replacements for the Challenger and the Charger built on the Giulia’s basic platform. The 707hp Hellcat engine will likely return with more power on tap and Dodge could even bring back the Viper nameplate around the turn of the decade.
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What about Lancia?
Unsurprisingly, Marchionne made no mention of the Lancia brand during the presentation. The storied Italian brand has shrivelled up into a regional auto-maker that sells a single model within the borders of its home country. FCA will either sell or shutter Lancia at the end of the Ypsilon’s production run.
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