Once the Fiat-Chrysler partnership came to fruition, it opened up a lot of possibilities about how to best integrate each manufacturer’s brands.
There have been ill-conceived plans speculated about along the way, such as rebadging Alfa Romeos as Dodges. A possibility that has remained promising since the beginning is the pairing of Fiat’s mid-level luxury brand, Lancia, with Chrysler.
That means a sharing of new models. Hopefully, in the future Lancia will keep a unique Italian design touch on vehicles rather than just rebadging. For now though, it seems the holdover models will receive little more than a few tweaks until all-new next-generation models arrive.
Automotive News Europe reports that the redesigned 200, has been confirmed to arrive in Italy badged as a Lancia.
There was rumors of this happening for quite awhile, and now the decision has been confirmed by Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marcionne. Speaking with Automotive News, he said “The new Chrysler 200 will come – cabriolet included – to Europe as a Lancia, and Flavia is a very good hint as its possible name.”
The car will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show as a replacement to the Chrysler Sebring. Chrysler-badged cars will no longer be sold in European markets.
The Geneva show is set to bring a number of debuts for Lancia. Rebadged versions of the 200 and 300 dubbed Thema and Flavia are rumored to be coming, as well as the possibility of the Town & Country minivan doing duty at the brand. As Lancias cars will be differentiated only tweaks to the exterior, interior and engine options. In other words, they will look about the same as their Chrysler counterparts.
Perhaps most important of the debuts for Lancia is the five-door hatchback Ypsilon. The Ypsilon is Lancia’s best-selling model, and currently is only available in a three-door body style.
The five-door segment of cars in Europe is much higher volume, and Lancia is aiming to appeal to more customers by entering the segment. Hopefully, while rebadged, the cars will have some meaningful changes that really make them look like Lancias. We’re eager to see what they look like in March when the Geneva Motor Show rolls around.
