Alfa Romeo is prepared to launch their first ever SUV.

Named the Stelvio, the model is getting launched next year with a design heavily inspired by Stelvio Pass.

The car shares many of its design, components and powertrain with the newly launched Giulia sports sedan. The upcoming SUV is about to go head on against the likes of Mercedes Benz C-Class, BMW 3 series and Audi A4. A report from a leading automobile magazine claimed that the Stelvio is focused on beating the Macan from Porsche and the popular F-Pace by Jaguar. The engineers are working hard to achieve best results so that they could compete on the same level as the top end sporty SUVs available in the market.

On-road performance is the top priority for the team working on the Stelvio SUV. The engineers are not going to focus on off-road performance like the Jeep models because it is not what their target audience look for. Instead, the on-road stability and comfort makes it a likeable purchase for them all. While official data doesn’t list the powertrain used in the SUV, rumors claimed that it is possibly powered by the 2.9-liter V6 twin turbo engine. It is capable of producing a total of 505 horsepower coupled with 443 lb feet of torque.

It is also confirmed that Alfa Romeo is expecting to boost the torque capacity of the Stelvio so as to make the SUV more powerful on road and probably add some towing capacity to it. The range topping version of the Stelvio will use a rear wheel drive and not an all-wheel drive system. The development team stated that it helps improve the agility of the car and also reduce overall weight. The modeling of F-Pace plays a huge inspiration for the Stelvio SUV.

The exterior design of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is heavily inspired by the Giulia. The SUV may make its official debut before the end of this year or probably in the first half of 2017. An official reveal is expected to take place at the auto expos to be held in Los Angeles or in the Detroit auto expo. At least three different SUV crossovers are in the lineup and Alfa Romeo has planned to launch them in a sequential order one after the other so that all their launches get a good response from the buyers. We will know if the new launch can give the company a new lease of life real soon.