Back in 2003, Alfa Romeo unveiled its Kamal SUV/Crossover concept at the Geneva Motor Show with the intention of grabbing a slice of the lucrative compact SUV market which appeared to be burgeoning at the time.
Fast Forward six years, and while Alfa has been more concerned with the acquisitions of its parent company Fiat and emission standards have impacted upon large SUVs the compact SUV continues to hold great appeal in the consumer market – something that may explain this recent sighting at Fiat’s Elasis research and development facility in Pomigliano, Italy.
The images, which were posted on Italian motoring website, Al Volante, show what looks like a production-orientated version of the compact SUV. The glazing, brake lamps and side profile suggest that this particular unit was based on the soon-to-be-replaced 147, while the nose sports headlamps lifted from the Fiat Grande Punto.
There are two schools of thought regarding this particular sighting; with some of the opinion that Alfa was simply moving it from one storage facility to another before filling it with firewood or mothballed Christmas decorations, while others suggest that Alfa may be preparing it as part of Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne’s plans for the company’s future model lineup.
The fact that Fiat/Alfa has its sights firmly set on making an impact on the US market lends some weight to the latter theory – especially when you consider just how popular SUVs (and more recently, fuel efficient compact SUVs) are becoming there.