The Maserati Levante is due before the end of the year but the Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV is said to be based on it and coming early in 2017.
The name’s not confirmed by AR but company bosses have said they want to create a driver’s SUV and set it apart from rivals on the road.
Russia’s new car sales are falling nearly 11% last month although lada, Renault, Volkswagen and Toyota boosted their sales at the expense of Ford and Peugeot in particular.
Lexus pulled up a 51% improvement to lead the premium brands and outpaced BMW.
There are growing signs that the EU and Japan will reach a tariff-free trade deal.
If this happens there will be added pressure on the UK Government to do a deal with Japanese car makers in the UK to keep them competitive with Continental markets.
