Alfa Romeo, Jeep returning to Malaysia soon – small-volume boutique ops, not directly under Stellantis

Here’s something for the diehards. Alfa Romeo and Jeep, two niche brands with a small but passionate following, will be coming back to Malaysia in an official capacity. This was revealed to paultan.org by Stellantis ASEAN MD Isaac Yeo in a recent interview, but it won’t be in the form that you might be thinking of.

Previously under the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles umbrella, Alfa Romeo and Jeep are now brands of the Stellantis Group (which is the result of a merger between FCA and Groupe PSA), but Yeo said that their impending return to our market will not be directly under Stellantis Malaysia, which will now put its full focus on Leapmotor, scaling back on Peugeot in the process.

Instead, Alfa Romeo and Jeep will be handled by separate entities in what Yeo calls a ‘hybrid model system’ operating a ’boutique style’ business, which will suit the low volume of the brands.

“We are bringing in Jeep and Alfa under a hybrid model system. I believe these two brands, in the next two years, has its customer base, but I want to keep this next two years to a boutique style business. I’m not going after the mass market,” Yeo said.

However, this arrangement might only be for the short term, and there’s a chance that Stellantis might assume full control after two years. “Reason is also because the next generation of my products are evolving – in two years time I’ll have a very huge range. These are iconic old brands, so there’s a lot of interest but also a lot of skepticism, so I want to keep it small and manageable rather than go full NSC (national sales company) mode,” Yeo explained.

The group’s ASEAN chief used the word ‘relevant’ many times in our hour-long interview and one gets the sense that for Stellantis Malaysia, the main goal now is to stay in the game, with hopes resting on the shoulders of their new Chinese striker, supported by two niche wingers.

“I have a lot of brands to play with, but I need to be ready with every brand. For us now, Leapmotor is the focus, and boutique style for Jeep and Alfa Romeo. That will keep me relevant. I don’t need to be up there, just to be relevant, but I will make a comeback,” Yeo declared.

So, what can we expect from the returning brands? In Alfa Romeo’s corner we have the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV, as well as the newer and smaller Tonale SUV (think BMW X1). More recently, Alfa unveiled the Junior, an even smaller SUV (think Volvo EX30) that’s also available in full EV form.

As for Jeep, the American 4×4 brand has mainstays like the Wrangler along with daily-friendly SUVs like the compact Compass (think Peugeot 3008) and the just-unveiled sixth-generation Cherokee, which debuts with a 1.6T hybrid powertrain (American Honda CR-V alternative?). At the top of the Jeep range is the Wagoneer S, the brand’s first global EV.

Italian curves and American muscle – which of these Alfa Romeo and Jeep models would you like to see in Malaysia? As full CBU brands, none of the offerings will match the pricing of the Japanese and premium German brands – which have CKD operations – but those looking for something different will soon have a showroom to go to and official after-sales support.

By the way, Sime Darby was the distributor of Alfa Romeo until 2013. The group held the rights since 2005, but it was not until 2009 when Sime Darby Auto Italia launched the quartet of beauties that were the 159, GT, Brera and Spider. Meanwhile, Jeep was handled by DRB-Hicom between 2014 to 2017. They kicked off with four models and a big HQ in Glenmarie. Those of a certain vintage might remember City Motors for Alfa and MBF for Jeep.

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