Fiat Group's Revised 2010-2011 Product Plan, Includes Chrysler-Based Sedans, Convertible and MPV for Lancia, 8C GTA for Alfa

During a Tuesday meeting in Rome with representatives of the government and trade unions, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed the Italian group's product plan that has been revised after the alliance with the Chrysler Group earlier this year. We already told you about the introduction of Fiat's new twin-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine on the 500 mini next year, but let's see what else the group has in store for the European market.

Bypassing the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Fiat Doblo van that we already know about, Fiat's product plan concentrates on Lancia, a brand that up until now, was clearly neglected by the Italian firm. That's going to change now that Fiat has linked Lancia's portfolio with Chrysler's lineup.

First of all, 2010 will see a minor facelift for the Ypsilon mini and Musa mini MPV as well as a model year update on the Delta that is rumored to be revealed with a Chrysler badge at next month's Detroit auto show.

2011, however, promises to be a significant year for Lancia as Fiat plans to introduced four new vehicles -all of which will be derived from Chrysler models- to the brand's European lineup.

These include a mid-size family sedan and convertible (a Lybra successor most likely based on the Sebring), a new flagship luxury sedan (Thesis replacement that's rumored to be based on the 300) and a large MPV (probably the Town and Country).

In 2011, Fiat will also gain a Chrysler Group-derived crossover model while the most important introduction for the brand will be the next-generation Panda that will be offered with the firm's new twin-cylinder turbocharged engines.

Other than the new compact-sized Giulietta, Alfa Romeo's plans include a model year update for the 159 sedan, the presentation of the more hardcore 8C Competizione GTA and a light facelift for the MiTo supermini.

As you can see, Marchionne's plans for Alfa do not include the long awaited SUV / Crossover model nor a replacement for the 169. Apparently, the focus on the Lancia brand comes at the cost of Alfa's future...

All in all, over the next two years, the Fiat Group is planning the launch of 17 new models and upgrades of 13 existing models.

PS: The opening photo is a julino billym photoshop

Chrysler Rumored to Unveil Lancia-Based Model at Detroit Auto Show

Earlier today, we learned from a leaked report on the net that GM will allegedly reveal a host of new models at next month's 2010 Detroit Auto Show. Now, we have more news concerning the Detroit event as a report from Bloomberg is claiming that the Chrysler Group LLC is planning to debut an all-new model derived from the Fiat Group's Lancia brand.

The news site stated that it was tipped off by "three people familiar with the situation" who said that the car will be badged as a Chrysler giving us our first taste of how the American firm plans to integrate Fiat's vehicles into its range.

So, which Lancia model will bear the Chrysler logo? Well, sorry to say, the insiders did not give out this piece of information.

But fortunately for us, Lancia's current lineup consists of only four models - the Ypsilon supermini, the Musa subcompact MPV, the Delta compact hatch and the Phedra minivan- so we'd assume that the firm's newest and most prominent car, the Delta, gathers most chances.

Even so, we don't know if Chrysler chose to simply re-badge and re-mask the 4,522mm-long (177.9-in.) Delta hatchback or if the American firm's designers and engineers proceeded to more extensive changes.

Either way, it's safe to say that Chrysler's model will be powered by the Fiat Group's turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines that include a 1.4-liter unit with 120HP and 150HP as well as a 1.8-liter with 200HP.

We could go on and on, but we'll refrain ourselves from speculating about the car until we hear something official from Chrysler or the Fiat Group.

Via: Bloomberg

PS: The opening photo is a julino billym photoshop

LANCIA RANGE

2012 Lancia Thesis Envisioned as a Chrysler 200C, Lancia Delta as a Compact Chrysler

Can't say that were fans of "badge engineering" especially when it comes to brands with a completely different mind-set and background, but like it or not, chances are that Fiat's tie up with Chrysler will most likely give birth to at least a couple of vehicles that will only differ in grilles and badges. The U.S. automaker's recently revealed five-year product plan hints at a few cars of this sort, but photoshop wiz, Theophilus Chin, took it upon himself to create a trio of 'Chrysler-ized' Lancias and vice-versa.

These include a proposal for a Lancia Thesis replacement based on Chrysler's well-received 200C mid-size sedan hybrid concept that was displayed at this year's Detroit Show, as well as Lancia-masked Chrysler Voyager and a Chrysler version of Lancia's premium compact hatchback, the Delta.

Source: Theophilus Chin

Ford Fiesta RS and Lancia Delta HF Integrale Design Studies Rev Our Imagination

Our next story comes from the magical world of concept studies -courtesy of AutoBlog.com.es- where harsh reality takes a hike and imaginations steps in to take its place. We've always been fans of the great Delta HF Integrale and we'd like nothing more than for Lancia to revive the legendary nameplate instead of wasting time and resources on cars such as the Thesis but chances are, especially after the Fiat Group's tie-up with Chrysler, that this artist's impression is the closest we'll get to a new HF for now.

The Fiesta RS that's also pictured here, however, is another story. While Ford hasn't confirmed any plans for a high-performance Fiesta, it also has not ruled out such an option. If the company were to develop a Fiesta RS, the firm's recently announced 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter turbocharged engines with direct-injection would be prime candidates to power the vehicle.

But until we hear something official, both the Lancia Delta HF Integrale and the Ford Fiesta RS will remain in the realm of imagination.

Photo Source: Autoblog.com.es , Via: Autoblog.nl

Lancia Hyena: Zagato's Delta Integrale Coupe Spotted in The Netherlands

Once upon a time, not too long ago, Lancia produced a car that made grown men weep. Yes, we're talking about the last truly desirable production Lancia, the Delta HF Integrale which dominated the rally scene in the late 1980s and 1990s. Towards the end of the Integrale's career, famed Italian design house Zagato and Dutch Lancia importer Paul Coot had an idea: why not create a limited series coupe variant of the Delta Integrale. And the Hyena was born.

Designed by Marco Pedracini in 1990, the Hyena was introduced as a production model at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1992. Even though the two cars shared the same underpinnings including the Integrale's famed all-wheel drive system and the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine tweaked to deliver around 250HP, the Hyena boasted its own unique styling that was a radical departure from the boxy Delta.

Just like Zagato's Alfa Romeo SZ of the same era, the Lancia Hyena is one of those controversially styled cars that you're drawn to even though you feel like that you're not supposed to.

Aside from the unique bodywork and the tweaked engine, the Hyena was also significantly lighter than its five-door counterpart weighing close to 200 kg or 440 pounds less than the Delta HF Integrale. The 3.99m long coupe was said to accelerate from zero to 100km/h in just 5.4 seconds.

Zagato and Coot initially agreed with Lancia to produce around 500 unit of the Hyena, but in typical Fiat Group style, the Italian automaker pulled out of the deal and only 24 pieces were ever built making the Hyena one of the most sought after Integrales of all time.

This particular example (the yellow Hyena) was spotted by a member of the Autogespot forums in the city of Rotterdam in The Netherlands. The Red Hyena is up for sale in the UK by Classic Driver for 105,995 GBP which comes to around $173,000 or €124,000 at today's exchange rates.

Via: Classic Driver & Autogespot

Analyst Forecasts New Chrysler and Fiat Models Until 2012 Including Jeep based Alfa GTX SUV

Research firm IHS Global Insight (GI) has released a new analysis forecasting a variety of Chrysler and Fiat Group models to be built in North America between 2011 and 2012. Before we say anything else, we'd advise to pay attention to the words 'analysis' and 'forecast'. That said, don't take everything you read as a fact. The report begins with the Alfa Romeo 169, a BMW 5-Series rival that is said to be built at Chrysler's Ontario factory in Canada with the first models rolling off the assembly line as early as November 2011.

The analyst predicts that the 169 will be based on Chrysler's LX platform which underpins the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger models. While it makes sense for the Italians to use the LX platform, unless Fiat is planning to simply re-skin / re-mask the next-generation Chrysler 300 into an Alfa, in which case, we're talking about a mistake from Fiat's behalf, saying that that the Alfa Romeo 169 will be ready to enter production in about two years time, is quite optimistic. Plus, as you can see in one of Fiat's previous product plans, Alfa was supposedly scheduling to introduce a self-developed 169 in 2009 - what happened to that?

Talking about the LX platform, the forecaster said that due to the bankruptcy of Chrysler LLC and the plant closures, the start of production of the new 2011 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 have been delayed to November 2010 and January 2011 respectively.

Continuing with the North American-built Fiat models, Global Insight said that the highly successful in Europe, 500 mini, will be made in Toluca, Mexico with U.S. sales starting in July 2011.

The MINI-rivaling 500 will be the only Fiat-badged model to be sold in the States. Since the 500 is based on Fiat's 169 platform, the Toluca plant will also produce the Jeep Panda 4x4, again from July 2011. We're guessing that the Jeep variant will most likely be a remasked version of the European market Panda 4x4.

Next up we have an array of models based on the Fiat Group's C-EVO platform that underpins C-segment cars like the Lancia Delta and Fiat Bravo. The report says that the C-EVO will be used on the next-generation Dodge Journey crossover, Dodge Caliber crossover and Chrysler Sebring sedan. Production is slated to begin for the Journey and Caliber in July 2012 at the Belvidere Assembly Plant, and for the Sebring, in June 2011 at the Toluca assembly plant.

In addition to the above models, the C-EVO platform is also reported to form the base for an Alfa Romeo compact SUV (no date) and weirdly enough, for the successor of the Jeep Liberty (July 2012) with both SUVs said to be produced at the Toledo plant in Ohio.

But the report gets even better as it is predicted that Fiat will produce a larger Alfa Romeo SUV model called the GTX at Chrysler's Jefferson North Assembly Plant beginning in July 2011. The GTX is said to be based on Jeep's WL platform that underpins the 2011 Grand Cherokee. However, bear in mind that the Grand Cherokee's WL platform is derived from Mercedes-Benz (it was developed during Daimler's reign over the company) so we're not entirely sure if Fiat has the rights to use the platform for one of its own models.

The paper ends with two subcompact hatches, the Dodge Hornet and Alfa Romeo MiTo that will share the same hardware- aka Fiat's 199 B-segment platform. Both cars are reported to be built for the American market at Chrysler's Belvidere assembly plant in Illinois with production slated to begin in March 2011 for the Hornet and July 2011 for the MiTo.

Call us skeptics, but if you want our opinion, we find the forecast extremely optimistic in the sense that Fiat will not only have to develop, design, engineer and test a whole bunch of new cars but also revamp Chrysler's North American factories to build the vehicles and all this in just two years from now.