When we look to the US Patent and Trademark Office to learn what new vehicle names have been filed it gives us a look into what the future of the automotive market will be. As we have recently seen the market demands we have more SUVs on the market and the luxury brands are entering in a huge way. The most recent filing for a patent is the name of “Kamal” which has been filed by FCA on behalf of Alfa Romeo, which is a name that has yet to be used by any company.
If Kamal seems familiar in any way that’s because this name was used as a concept vehicle which is a compact crossover SUV that was presented by Alfa Romeo back in 2003 to give us a thought of what the future might just be. This new Alfa Romeo product could be the SUV that makes a huge difference in the market and offers us a more extensive lineup from the brand to ensure they can have their own stake in what has now become the largest selling segment of the market which has quickly replaced sedans as the favorite class of vehicles.
Alfa is already testing a small crossover near the Nurburgring track in Germany and this SUV is expected to be the competitor to the X3 from BMW and it will be on the market starting next year. Until now this new crossover is expected to be called the Stelvio as CEO Sergio Marchionne informed us, but this name has not been filed by FCA with the Patent Office as of yet. Does this mean Alfa Romeo won’t use the Stelvio name at all? No answer to that question has actually been confirmed, but the fact the Kamal name has been filed but the Stelvio name has not is an indicator this might be the way the lineup is headed.
The information we do have is the fact that Alfa Romeo will offer us a lineup of three crossovers in the future in order to give us what we need with a compact, small and a midsized crossover to be the three we can desire from one of the most exotic names we have ever seen on the market. Alfa Romeo has been a name we have loved to enjoy on the market for many years and this change will certainly begin to show us the movement toward a more profitable brand in the US.
It’s no secret that the Alfa Romeo name has struggled over the past few years, especially since they have cut down to one model, the 4C, on the US market for a few years. Later in this year we expect to see the Giulia sedan on the market but this is already a delayed model that was supposed to be here much sooner than it will be now. This certainly gives the question as to whether or not Alfa Romeo will be able to pull off the new lineup with three SUVs and bring us the sedan that is on its way.
The fact that Alfa is already testing a new SUV at their testing facilities and around the Nurburgring track gives us hope that at least the first model will be on the market on time, which is scheduled to be offered in 2017. Once we get a name for this new SUV and get to see it in action we can then see what the plan is to create a full lineup of three and with the Alfa name you know these SUVs will be fantastic for driving in an elegant and luxury featured model.
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