Alfa is finally settling on its SUV crossover plan. If you’ve a very long memory, you’ll recall the 2003 concept, the Kamal. It was conceived as a sporty baby crossover, smaller than a BMW X3. After a period in the wilderness, it’s back on track.
See, in about 2005 Alfa got fixated on the US market and on the BMW X5 (the Alfa boss at the time was ex-BMW man Karl-Heinz Kalbfell). So the Kamal grew in size, weight and complexity. Then costs got out of control. So then it stalled. But now it’s back, to be launched eight years after the show car.
These days SUVs really mustn’t be fat. So the Kamal has been replanned to its original dinky size, albeit with updated looks. It will sit on the platform for the 149, the 147’s replacement.
It’ll be 4.6m long, about the same as a Honda CR-V, though its design will be swoopier. It’s not meant as a family car. Top-selling engines will be diesels, up to 200+ horsepower. Petrols will get a new active valve-lift system. And for the Americans, who are still a target, there will be a V6. Dual clutch transmission is also on the menu.
You’ve just got to hope Alfa keeps the weight under control. It hasn’t been very good at that these past years.
But more than that, does the world actually need yet another pseudo-SUV compact crossover? Answers in the comments box below please.
I think Alfa Romeo should use the face from the Brera / Spider, it looks EVEN BETTER than the face on the Kamal.
I don’t think Alfa Romeo needs an SUV… I doubt it would be any good offroad.
The world needs from Alfa something like the Alfasud or the GTV6 of the 80s, even though they wouldn’t be as much a cash cow as an SUV.
Why bother? The SUV market is largely dead.
Booo! just when i thought alfa had the good sense to stay way from the abomination that is a chelsea tractor they go and do this, Heinz is right, they need to concentrate on what they used to be good at, small, light, fast sports cars. A new small convertable 2 seater would be a much better model to persue.
SUVS aren’t dead here in the US market petrol is cheap here (relatively) at its max its 4 bucks a gallon crossovers are a huge here I have one myself you get 4wd for snow, higher driving position, high ground clearance, as well as more rear leg room,I drive a CR-V Its essentially a hatch with SUV clothes and find its a good balance, I prefer SUV features and looks but only need 5 seats and a large boot. The only issue is the lack of Alfa Knowledge in the US, the poor fiscal situation isn’t going to help Alfa people aren’t going to be rushing out to buy cars from a company they don’t know especially since they are known for poor reliability.
Yeah! Well, not another SUV wannabe. Maybe they ought to sort out their reliability/qaulity issues first. That would sell them more cars, and build up sales much like Skoda have. Lets face it, if Skoda can pull off something like that, imagine a reliable Alfa with a top interior like Audi, but not boringly the same like Audi, or VW.
Don’t need anymore crossovers over here, but if it means Alfa will finally return to the US, I’m all for it. Hopefully, it won’t sink and we’ll get some proper Alfa’s later.
http://www.autoblog.nl/ga llery/Alfa_Romeo/Kamal/Al fa_Romeo_Kamal_1.jpg
I agree that Alfa doesn’t need an SUV. To be honest i think that no one does.
. The actual spider is too “fat” in my opinion.
I remember the Duetto my mother owned in the 80’s… that is the last Alfa i really loved and… I know is hopeless to see another like that. Especially with the germans around
The last thing Alfa Romeo, the unorganised maker of really cool looking bread-and-butter car, needs is an SUV. Why can it not make a good MPV like the S-Max or build up a range of the norm, such as Ford’s or Vauxhall’s?
It makes no sense.
Can someone tell me where to find the ‘News’ section on the new website….. i keep getting mixed up with all the new names
i very like top gear
te cars weres very beautiful and I like thak it,s very cool so cool.
I like very mach this show
The news section is under the car tab, then click on new car news……..ok amigo!!!
IT’S A NICE EFFORT FROM ALFA, MUCH BETTER THAN BMW WITH THE X1. IN FACT I’D RATHER HAVE THE ALFA TO THE X1. AS SOON AS I SAW THIS CAR I KNEW THE FRONT WAS FROM THE MINGING LOOKIN’ MITO. ALFA SHOULD DITCH THE IDEA OF BRINGING OUT NEW CARS/CONCEPTS WITH THE FRONT FROM THE MITO. THEY SHOULD MAKE A MORE ‘ATRACTIVE’ FRONT. ODVIOUSLY NOT FOR AN SUV BECAUSE AN SUV DOESN’T HAVE TO LOOK PRETY LIKE A BRERA, JUST NOT COMPLETELY UGLY, LIKE A CAYENNE
I just wish that Alfa used the face of the 159 and Brera for all the range, I don’t like the Comp 8c’s on this or the MiTo, the Brera face just has more presence.
I like the 8C Competizione’s face, but not the Mito’s face. Alfa Romeo should focus on making their cars more reliable, instead of making ones they don’t even need.
ALFA need good reliability image to out-do the gxxman image of good reliability machine which could be well make believe by most in fact…keep up on this since Karl is now on board…let start with Kamal…
This utterly bad-looking thing has been rumoured and discussed for years now. I suggest the best thing to do is launch the bl@$dy thing and get it over with.
We can discuss the great history of Alfa Romeo for hours, but the conclusion is always going to be that car-makers don’t build these thing for car-nuts, but for people with far more money than taste…
Apart from the 8C and the 159 Wagon there is not one Alfa Romeo available in the shop today that looks like a decent Alfa should!
i think alfa should make an SUV, the concept looks like its going 2 be a good looking car
alfa drivers are petrol heads – so why not make an SUV
Being from the Kamal’s target market (the good ol’ USA), i can say hands down this crossover will sell amazingly well. As long as Alfa sends over a few good, fuel efficient engines – possibly even some diesels please – this truck will sell. a good example of a vehicle in this category selling like hot cakes here is the Infiniti EX (which you europeans will be getting shortly). i can’t wait for Alfa Romeo to come back to the USA. it’s been gone 14 years too long! please Alfa! bring the brera, mito and 159 along too!
SUVs generally annoy me as the majority of people live in towns and cities where you just don’t need one. Alfa has always been about stlye,heart and soul and these aren’t the first three words that pop into your head when someone says SUV.
If you live up a muddy lane get a land rover but if you insist on one of these crossover city SUV things I’d go for the ford kuga.
Alfa if your going to make an SUV, IT HAS TO COME OUT AS SONAS POSSIBLE! Or you will not make money.
I’d buy one, if they put the straight 5 diesel in it.
alfa just kick a@s at makin good cars, sure they might not last…..but i dwont care, if u got the money u swill just get it for the looks, and i fink this suv does look fine az
Hmmm, this smells like a bit of me-too-ism with the Germans i think. Here we have a maker of sports cars trying to get into the SUV market.
Porsche Cayenne anyone?
Alfa shouldn’t make an SUV like every manufacturer has and instead should be focused on updating models and fixing reliabitly issues, and then they will start selling cars and once they have enough money then they can start thinking about making an SUV, though the only that will by them will be footballers and mums doing the school run.
I agree with JubJub.
Alfas are sexy. Sexy is good. We need more Alfas
Hmm… I love Alfas, but I’m not sure an SUV is the way to go. It’ll probably be OK for the school run, but given their legendary build quality, taking it off-road would be a bit of a risk. Even if nothing falls off, it will probably hasten the inevitable tears that come with Alfa ownership. And if it reaches production, they need to change that name; Alfas have a reputation for being sexy and beautiful – even-toed ungulates, in the main, do not.
Well, no car manufacturer needs SUV’s. Except the fact that the people want them. So, why not make a fortune ?
But I would like to have one. At least i would prefer one to an BMW X1/X3.
Suv’s what a nonsense, step by step, europeans become like the U.S market. I suggest a new post of all the most rudicolous car in the history.
That picture there looks promising. As usual, the car will look fabulous, and you’ll want one, but only if you have to much money on your hands. It’s kind of like investing in a european bank. It looks promising, but you end up with a load of rubbish that costs you more and more over time.
To me, Alfa Romeo are struggling in finding who they are at the moment. The MiTo, Brera, 159 and Spider all look fantastic, but nothing new comes out regularly. And I don’t see how an SUV is really the way forward for them – look how quickly SUVs are falling out of favour in the UK! I’d prefer them to focus more on the 149 and possibly something even smaller than the MiTo. And then a replacement for the 166!…
Oh no… Another company crumble… What Alfa should have done is use the money to work on the Rumoured 8C GTA thats supposed to be coming in 2010. Or possibly turn the Brera into a machine that actually goes like it looks…
I don’t this suv is a good looker, but there was so many better ways Alfa could have gone..
But of course Alfa would make a SUV sooner or later. Altough the market perspectives aren’t that good concerning, the fact is suv’s still sell well, just not as well as before.
Think of it this way: altough most of europeans hate looking at suv’s, wouldn’t you rather look at a beautiful, smooth italian designed Alfa SUV instead of the butt ugly X series, the horse faced Cayenne or the look-at-me-im-so-importan t Q7? I know I would.
Sure it’s sad to see Alfa go down this road, but it’s perfectly understandable. I just think it would be a greater investment to produce a 149. Everyone would be glad.
At one point there was going to be a Maserati version too. haha just what they need. The Italians can do 4wheel drive quite well..the Panda 4×4 for example. But a middle class SUV. Nah…people will stick to Audis and Volvos.
This car is miles better than the BMW X3 or the X6..But i think Alfa shouldn’t be wasting their time making cars like that. Maybe the next thing they’ll do is an Alfa people carrier which looks like the 8C…
Alfa romeo is picking the exact wrong moment to put yet another soft roader into the market. Also, this is supposed to be the vehicle used to spear head the return to the American market; yes, the same American market that has now stopped buying suv’s.
I wonder if it will be any good off-road?
i think it looks stunnin
It is not a bad car to look at, especially for a SUV. The road-going 4WD is the in thing and I think Alfa should show its “soul and passion” in a SUV. Will it work however? We will just have to see, but i don’t think the Italians have really built a proper 4WD.
But an Alfa being able to go off-road, you got to admit, it would be pretty cool.
Please, Alfa, don’t build it………….
Sorry, I take that back.
aLPHA Dont do it it will be awfull, It will lose the charm and character of a normal alpha. Also what would happen if it broke down at the top of a small off road hill.
hi
DON’T DO IT ALPHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As been proved on other top gear episodes- would actually be very good for offroading on?
Absolutely un-necessary. Why would Alfa need an SUV in a range of cars that do the job as it is anyway?
i’m very sad alfa decided to make an SUV… with the introduction of the mito and the kamal it’s like they are trying to shake off their sportiness, coolness and beauty. mito is just a rival for the “trendy” and stylish Mini for young ladies and the Kamal is just another chelsea tractor for fat boys. come on Alfa, for god’s shake, build a proper car! everyone is saying it and they seem to ignore us.
i dont think alfa need an suv.
i mean, they have the brera, 159 and the spider.
what more do you want??
Samster, don’t forget the brilliant 8C Compet… something or other that I can’t spell.
I would like to seethat Alfa in production to see how many the DON’T make…
carfan 3 it’s ‘Competzione’.
No, this is not good…
Afla are to SUVs what Humvey is to taste and sophistication. It wouldn’t work. I’m not saying it would be a goppingly awful looking car like a Cayenne, but it’s hard to imagine the Alfa good looks on a clunky high riding chelsea tractor. The last sleek, uncoventional SUV I saw was that Nissan Murano, maybe alfa should go for something like that
I think Alfa should try and dispense with all this crap and build proper cars like it used to, such as the old spider and the alfasud.
Remember when Lamborgini built an off-roader, the LM002?
i think that as someone said before, that it should be besed on the brera spider. changing the colour would be nice aswell, to the brera blue or red.
Alfa should put their V6 in it aswell, its always been smooth
i think it looks awesome!
it’ll be interesting to see the final product.
But i hope they change the front end to one that is more like the 159 or the Brera.
A ALFA IS A ALFA…nothing beats that no matter how hard u try…IS STILL AN ALFA tat RULES…
lets hope it won’t disintergrate once you put it into reverse or blow up when you reach 30mph or sit in a cloud os smoke by the side of the road lets hope Alfas got its act together to make a proper car
i don’t think it looks that nice but if its anything like a land rover i’ll love it
p.s. my dad has an old MG BGT but all of my friends say it’s bad and ugly do you agree