New 1.5-liter Engine For Upcoming Alfa SUV To Be Built In Termoli:

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has confirmed promises that the company gave in November of last year, for the production of a hybrid Global Small Engine (GSE) or “Firefly” engines in Termoli, Italy. 

According to Unione Italiana Lavoratori Metalmeccanici (UILM), the Italian metalworkers union, the plant in Termoli will produce both 1.0-liter and 1.5-liter versions of the GSE engine in both their normal and hybrid variants. You might remember back in October 2018, we actually discussed the possibility of a new 1.5-liter engine.

Our sources are now saying that the application of this new 1.5-liter engine will be included as the standard powertrain on the upcoming compact Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV. Now, this added displacement would, of course, equal more power than the 1.3-liter turbo powerplant on the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X, vehicles that will share a common architecture with the new Tonale.

The new 1.5-liter turbocharged engine could very likely have around 205 horsepower and a 310 Nm (229 lb-ft) of torque.

In the wake of the FCA and Groupe PSA merger, it seems obvious that FCA’s gasoline engines like the GSE and the Global Medium Engine (GME) lineup, will survive. More than likely, the PSA engine lineup will retire, as both companies will consolidate during the merger.

As it now stands, the GSE family will offer the 1.0-liter, 1.3-liter, and 1.5-liter engines. This engine lineup could easily replace the 1.2-liter and 1.6-liter PureTech gasoline engines from PSA, which are not related to each other. 

But, it does tell us an important detail for the upcoming highly-anticipated Tonale. The Tonale should be launching in 2021, as a 2022 model.