A fleet of pre-productionand test Fiat and Alfa Romeo vehicles were spotted in South Africa over the weekendand gave us a first look at what's coming.

South Africa is often used as a venue for the testing of forthcoming vehicles. With our high average temperatures and altitude, vehicles are put through their paces to see if they can cope with the conditions. Our fuel is also under international scrutiny as the quality is often not up to scratch. Many brands come out here to test their wares and it won't be the last time either.

We saw a pre-production BMW i8 and a facelifted BMW 335i xDrive being tested some time ago, and we've also stumbled upon the new generation of Mini products as well as the flagship Volvo XC90.

This time, a few of the Italian marques' pre-production vehicles were spotted in Cape Town. Some had their badges covered, but there was no mistaking which products they were. The new Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV was the highlight of the group and despite it running on really small wheels with awkward coverings of duct tape, there was no mistaking thecar's identity.

The next cars were from Fiat and comprised a Tipo Estate, as well as a limited-edition Riva 500. The Tipo is Fiat's answer to the Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet Cruze, and we drove the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel at its international launch in Italy in 2016.

The Fiat 500 Riva Edition is a tie in between Fiat and the luxury boat maker Riva. The car features beautiful leather seats and a wooden dashboard.Also joining the group was a Fiat 500X, the Italian Jeep Renegade.

Thanks to Jason from TechnoBok.co.za for sending us these pics!

Further Reading

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Revealed

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrofoglio First Drive

Alfa Romeo's plans for South Africa for 2016/2017

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