Marchionne Says Fiat May Close Two Italian Plants if U.S. Export Plans Fail

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne may have succeeded in signing a deal with the Italian worker unions, yet decreasing demand in the struggling European market may still force him to take extreme measures.

And while Marchionne does not expect the situation in Europe to improve “at least until 2014", on the other side of the pond, he said that Chrysler's plants are already at full capacity, necessitating imports from the group’s factories in Canada, Mexico or Europe to satisfy a third of U.S. demand.

Therefore, as he told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, it’s a perfect opportunity for Fiat’s Italian plants to increase their production and make up for the drop in local demand by exporting models to the States.

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Lancia to Present Final Version of Chrysler-Based Flavia Cabrio in Geneva, goes on Sale in March

At last year's Geneva Motor Show, Lancia previewed its adopted models from the Chrysler brand in pre-production form, and now the Italians are returning to the…scene of the crime at the 2012 edition of the Swiss salon to debut the final version of the Flavia Cabrio before it goes on sale across Europe in late March.

We're not sure where Lancia gets its feedback from, but in the company's own words, the Flavia Cabrio enjoyed "critical and public success at the most prestigious motor shows".

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Chrysler Reintroduces Brand in the UK with £10 Million “Different Is What We Do” Campaign

A 60-second spot that aired during the break in Sky TV’s Super Bowl coverage last Sunday was the opening shot in Chrysler’s new advertising campaign with which it re-launches the brand in the United Kingdom.

The commercial shows the 300C sedan cruising through Detroit and then emerging through a tunnel in the streets of London, where it is joined by the rest of the brand's UK line-up. It is very similar to this ad only now we see Chrysler's re-badged Lancia models as well.

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Michael Stoschek Officially Pronounces the New Stratos Project Dead

The automotive history is full of people who tried to make their dreams come true but failed, some due to their limited ability or resources, some because of bad timing and others because the big fish swimming in their pond were, well, too big to handle.

Automotive industry entrepreneur, collector and historic car driver Michael Stoschek has just joined their ranks after attempting to build a 21st century version of one of rallying’s iconic cars: the Lancia Stratos.

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Lancia Imperiale Design Concept by David Cardoso

If there's one European brand that has been in an identity crisis for many years, that is Lancia – and the Fiat Group's decision to drop a few Chrysler models including the 300 sedan and the Town & Country minivan into the Italian firm's range only made things worse.

One time the proud maker of sporty models with a pinch of luxury like the gorgeous Lancia Fulvia Coupe with its innovative narrow-angle V4 engine and let's not forget, also the holder of 10 world rally championships, Lancia is now struggling to find its place in today's automotive world.

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Fiat Group Lowers 2012 Sales Estimate by Half a Million Units

A funny t-shirt slogan reads “aim low, achieve your targets, avoid disappointment”. But it would probably be best if you didn’t give it as a Christmas present to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne.

The reason is that the Italian group has lowered its 2012 sales forecast of 2.7 million units by a substantial amount; the new target for next year is 2.2 million, 500,000 units short of the original estimate presented in the group's 5-year plan.

The good news is that its partner, Chrysler, is expected to hit its 2.4-million sales target. Adding up the numbers brings the Fiat-Chrysler combined sales projection for 2012 to 4.6 million units.

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Ferrari Designer Called Upon by Fiat to Create a Common Styling for Chrysler and Lancia

Platform sharing is nothing new in the automotive world. Everyone does it as it enables companies to reduce development costs across the board. For example, if it weren’t for the VW Touareg, Porsche probably wouldn’t have the means to develop the model that effectively made it a cash cow: the Cayenne.

And truth to be said, most of the times, your average buyer doesn't know what's hiding under the sheetmetal nor if the vehicle in question is identical in many ways to a model bearing a different badge, because what he or she sees and feels are indeed different.

The trouble starts when carmakers engage in blatant badge engineering, simply placing a different grille and a new logo on the steering wheel and calling it something else.

And that's where the problem lies for Fiat and Chrysler. The automotive alliance recently revealed a trio of Lancia models in Europe: the Thema sedan, Flavia Cabrio and the Voyager MPV, which are nothing more than rebadged versions of the Chrysler 300, 200 Convertible and Town & Country respectively.

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Lancia Targets the Younger, Male Audience with New Ypsilon Black&Red

Remember the times when Lancia targeted the younger end of the male audience with cars like the beautifully penned Flavia Coupe and the rally-born Delta HF Integrale series? Sadly, those days are finito.

Nowadays, the Italian company is trying to reach out to the same demographic with trim models like the new Ypsilon Black&Red that will make its debut at next month's 2011 Bologna Motor Show.

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Fiat Group Loses Big in Europe, Hits a 20-Year Low Mark in Italy

Just two days ago, we reported that Fiat Group CEO, Sergio Marchionne, said that he would make the North American market Alfa Romeo’s top priority.

Now the Italian automaker’s boss admits that his company is facing huge troubles in Europe as in the first nine months of 2011, the company's sales decreased by 12% compared to the same period last year, with its share in the European market dropping from 8.2% to 7.3%.

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New Lancia Thema Sedan Available in Europe [Gallery with 67 Photos]

On Wednesday, Lancia made its new Thema sedan available in the European market.

The Italian firm's first full-size saloon model after the ill-fated Thesis was discontinued in 2009, is one of two models to emerge from the alliance between Lancia and Chrysler, the other one being the Town & Country-based Voyager MPV.

The Thema is in essence a Chrysler 300 wearing Lancia badges and as such, it was an easy and cheap solution for the Fiat Group to expand Lancia's range upwards without sinking valuable resources into the brand that was once famous for its achievements in the World Rally scene.

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Old Lancia Stratos Meets New in San Marino Rally [Video]

More than a dozen examples of the classic Lancia Stratos in both production and rally trims met up with the one-off New Stratos at the recent 2011 Rally Legend Event in San Marino.

The New Stratos was commissioned by wealthy German car enthusiast Michael Stoschek and built by Italian design house Pininfarina. It is based on a shortened platform of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and features a 4.3-liter V8 engine sourced from the same model with 540-horses and more than 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of peak torque.

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Lancia Stratos HFs in Action at the 2011 Rally Legend Event in San Marino

The original Lancia Stratos HF is, if not the, one of the most legendary rally cars of all time. Crafted in an era of notable achievements for the Italian automotive industry, the Stratos is a sad reminder of what Lancia once stood but not anymore.

Designed by the great Bertone, it was based on Ferrari mechanics using a modified version of the Dino's 2.4-liter V6. The Stratos was an extremely successful racing car winning three consecutive World Rally Championships in 1974, 1975, and 1976.

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Change of Plans for Chrysler Group, will Eliminate Duplicate Models, Hints at U.S. Market Delta

The product plan brewing continues over at the Fiat Group – Chrysler LLC alliance. Following the recent news on the Jeep and Alfa Romeo brands, the group's CEO Sergio Marchionne offered new details on Chrysler LLC's strategy.

In an interview with Automotive News, Marchionne said that the company has revised its Project Genesis plan, which was put in place in 2008 when Chrysler was still under the ownership of Cerberus Capital Management.

The two key elements of the Genesis plan are merging the dealerships of all four Chrysler group brands, including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram under one roof, (with only a few exceptions), and abolishing duplicate products that are the result of badge-engineering such as the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger, and the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan.

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New Chrysler Delta Hatch Goes on Sale in the UK [71-Photos]

The new Ypsilon supermini is not the only Lancia model to wear Chrysler's winged badge in Britain. Joining the Ypsilon's voyage across the British channel is the Lancia Delta hatchback that went on sale today as a Chrysler with a starting price of £16,695 OTR.

The move is part of the Fiat-Chrysler alliance's decision to market all Lancia models in the UK under the Chrysler brand name.

Chrysler is marketing the new Delta a C-segment model with D-segment interio space and features. The five-door model measures 4520mm in length and rides on a 2700mm long wheelbase.

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IAA 2011: Lancia Displays its Stars and Stripes in Frankfurt

If anything else, and with a few exceptions such as the Ypsilon supermini, the aging Musa and the Delta compact hatchback, Lancia's range is beginning to look eerily similar to that of the Chrysler brand.

At this week's 64th International Auto Show in Frankfurt, the Italian company displayed its entire lineup including the Thema sedan, Flavia Cabrio and the Voyager MPV, which are rebadged versions of the Chrysler 300, 200 Convertible and Town & Country respectively.

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IAA 2011: New Stratos Makes its Motorshow Debut in Frankfurt

While the Fiat Group has more or less cut ("neutered" would probably be a more appropriate word…) Lancia from its past, a dedicated fan of the Italian brand with a lot of money to spend, decided to resurrect one the most famous sports cars of all time.

We are talking of course about German businessman Michael Stoschek and his one-off New Stratos that made its first public appearance at a major automotive event in Frankfurt.

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Lancia Rolls Out New Thema at 68th Venice International Film Festival [Video + Photos]

The Fiat Group may have forced Lancia to give up on the art of…making cars, but the Italian company is trying to compensate by mastering the art of…promotion.

The Italian firm's new flagship model, the Chrysler 300-sourced Thema, is making a special appearance at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, of which Lancia is the main sponsor for the seventh year running.

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Frankfurt Show Preview: Chrysler 300 Wears Italian Undies and Becomes the New Lancia Thema

After its international public debut at the Geneva Salon last spring, the new Lanica Thema will be making one more appearance at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt next month before it goes on sale across Europe in October.

Lancia's contribution to the transformation of the Chrysler 300 to the Thema is restricted to the Italian brand's badges, plus the higher quality materials and different trim options for the interior.

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Lancia Flavia Cabrio Coming to Frankfurt Show, Sedan Plans Axed

The Fiat Group may have exhibited both the sedan and convertible variants of the Chrysler 200 re-branded as the Lancia Flavia at the Geneva Salon in March, but at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Italians will only bring the open top model.

Citing inside sources from the Fiat Group, Autonews reported that only the convertible version of the Flavia will make it into production as the cost of adding an essential diesel engine wiped out the business case for the sedan model in Europe.

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Meet the New Chrysler Delta…but it's not for U.S., it's for the U.K.

Do you remember the Chrysler-badged Delta hatchback that made a surprise appearance at the Detroit motor show in 2010?

Well, the Chrysler Group has presented the final production version but it is not for U.S. consumption. Instead, the Delta will be offered in the United Kingdom where all Lancia products will be marketed under the Chrysler brand.

The only changes made to the original Lancia model, which was recently updated with a new front grille, concern the Chrysler badges inside and out.

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