First FCA model to use compact Peugeot platform could be Alfa Romeo SUV
A report from industry journal Automotive News has outlined how Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot Citroen could save money and make production more efficient.
The Alfa Romeo Tonale compact crossover could be built on the same platform as the Peugeot 208, thanks to the recently-signed merger between Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot Citroen.
According to Automotive News Europe, the first Fiat Chrysler model based on the CMP chassis used in the new-generation Peugeot 208 city hatchback could be a small Alfa Romeo crossover.
The report says the crossover will be complete with a battery-only variant, and is set to launch in 2022. Although the timeframe is slightly later than initial details laid out by various leaks, the remainder of the details are in keeping with what we know of the Tonale.
Current wisdom suggests the Tonale will be built on the same front- and all-wheel drive architecture as the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X.
But PSA Group has shown a willingness to halt the development of cars near production-readiness in search of greater platform efficiencies – the Opel Corsa was meant to be built on a GM platform and almost ready to launch, before PSA Group took over and moved it onto the CMP platform.
According to the plan laid out by FCA and PSA when their merger was signed, three million cars would be built on a compact/midsized platform every year, with a further 2.6 million on a small platform.
The report says the small platform will be PSA Group’s existing CMP architecture – currently underpinning the new Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa – and the larger on will be the EMP2 chassis used in everything from the Peugeot 3008 to the current 508 liftback and wagon.
Both are designed to support petrol, diesel and electric powertrains.
Unlike FCA’s comparable platforms, both of these PSA architectures are only a few years old, contain more lightweight materials, and have been designed to accommodate low-carbon propulsion systems, such as plug-in hybrid and fully electric powertrains.
Based on 2018 numbers, the merged automaker will be the world’s fourth largest — behind the Volkswagen Group, Toyota and the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance — with annual sales of around 8.7 million vehicles.
Fiat Chrysler’s existing large SUV and pickup truck platforms will carry over, while the upcoming 500e won’t be affected by the switch to the CMP and EMP platforms because it’s too far advanced in its development.
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