Those of you wondering if anything has been done to these cars, all are largely unchanged physically. More to the point, trade-in your American Apparel jacket for a Dolce & Gabbana one; you're still you only posher looking.
Mechanical changes, on the surface, are limited to the addition of diesel engines joining the new Pentastar V6s already available. The Thema ain't got no HEMI. The Freemont gets two MultiAir diesel engines.
To be Frank, or George, if I detach myself from my North American roots, I can understand why Fiat and Lancia's booths were packed beyond capacity; these “new” cars are curiosities. From the pictures, you can see the crowd surrounding the Chryslers and not the girls.
Now, whether or not these cars will sell on the highly competitive and nearly saturated European markets remains to be seen.
This does however, set the stage for the coming of the Italians. The aforementioned Delta, the new one, is expected to arrive as a 2013 or 2014 car and could be in line to replace the PT Cruiser. Of the four current Lancias, the Delta would be the best fit in North America. In Fiat's case, the Punto or better yet, a Bravo, would be shoe-in as Dodge's new compact car, replacing the dreadful Caliber.
In the grand scheme of all things automotive, these are very engrossing times for Chrysler, at least in today's global village. If Walter Chrysler were still alive, well, his reaction would be something interesting to behold.
Be that as it may, by 2014, five new Chryslers should be sourced from Fiat and sold here. We know we are looking forward to that day.
Mechanical changes, on the surface, are limited to the addition of diesel engines joining the new Pentastar V6s already available. The Thema ain't got no HEMI. The Freemont gets two MultiAir diesel engines.
To be Frank, or George, if I detach myself from my North American roots, I can understand why Fiat and Lancia's booths were packed beyond capacity; these “new” cars are curiosities. From the pictures, you can see the crowd surrounding the Chryslers and not the girls.
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| Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com |
Now, whether or not these cars will sell on the highly competitive and nearly saturated European markets remains to be seen.
This does however, set the stage for the coming of the Italians. The aforementioned Delta, the new one, is expected to arrive as a 2013 or 2014 car and could be in line to replace the PT Cruiser. Of the four current Lancias, the Delta would be the best fit in North America. In Fiat's case, the Punto or better yet, a Bravo, would be shoe-in as Dodge's new compact car, replacing the dreadful Caliber.
In the grand scheme of all things automotive, these are very engrossing times for Chrysler, at least in today's global village. If Walter Chrysler were still alive, well, his reaction would be something interesting to behold.
Be that as it may, by 2014, five new Chryslers should be sourced from Fiat and sold here. We know we are looking forward to that day.
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