- Fiat plans to rebadge the redesigned Chrysler 300 in Europe and rebrand it as the Lancia Thema.
- Lancia's new Chrysler-based flagship sedan will debut next spring at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show.
- The 2012 Chrysler 300 goes on sale next spring in the U.S.
TURIN, Italy — Fiat plans to rebadge the redesigned Chrysler 300 in Europe and rebrand it as the Lancia Thema.
According to Automotive News, Lancia's new Chrysler-based flagship sedan will make its public debut next spring at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show and will go on sale in Europe in late 2011.
The car will be badged as a Lancia in mainland Europe and as a Chrysler in the U.K. and Ireland, the publication said, adding that Fiat expects to sell between 10,000 and 15,000 units a year in Europe.
The Thema project is part of Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne's broader strategy to merge the Chrysler and Lancia brands with most future models sharing common platforms, powertrains and sheet metal.
The revival in Europe of the Thema is a new wrinkle; last April, when Fiat released information and charts on its brands' future products, the big Lancia did not exist.
The original Thema sedan was styled by Italdesign and shared its underpinnings with the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000. It was built and sold in small numbers in Europe from 1984-'94, but was never marketed in the U.S.
Both the new 300 and the future Thema will be assembled at Chrysler's Brampton plant in Ontario, with the Lancia version getting a different grille and Europe-specific bumpers, Automotive News said, adding that the Thema will feature a new VM Motori 230-horsepower 3.0-liter turbodiesel.
The 2012 Chrysler 300 goes on sale next spring in the U.S.
Inside Line says: Look for the new Chrysler 300 to make its official debut early next month at the Detroit auto show. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
juan_mx says:
08:16 AM, 12/16/2010
The curent 300 has been in the European market for a few years using a 3.0L Diesel engine from MB.
According to Wikipedia, although it is originally an italian company, VM Motori is owned by Penske Corporation and General Motors.
VM Motori already supplies some of the Diesel engines used by Chrysler in Europe (for the Liberty, Grand Voyager, Cherokee).
lostboyz says:
08:11 AM, 12/16/2010
@ed341,
nothing of what you said was correct
@kkear3,
I didn't see you complaining about the pontiac g8 being a rebadged holden. Lancia isn't going to be sold in this country, its in a seperate market all together.
kkear3 says:
06:12 AM, 12/16/2010
Badge engineering. Look how well that worked out for Eagle, Geo, Saturn, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and now Mercury. Did I miss any? Well maybe not Saturn because their stuff was so awful, badge engineering was an upgrade. But they are still gone.
ed341 says:
03:51 AM, 12/16/2010
So let me get this straight. The 300 is basically a 90s Mercedes-Benz, turned into a 2000s Chrysler, revamped for 2012 by changing the headlights, and now it will be get a new bumper, be built in Canada and sold in Europe as a Lancia...?
There is NO way this CAN'T be successful!
lostboyz says:
03:28 AM, 12/16/2010
@cz_75
Wikipedia says:
"The 300C was the 2005 Motor Trend Car of the Year and was on Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 2005 and 2006. It also won the North American Car of the Year and Canadian Car of the Year Best New Luxury Car awards. During it's debut year, it was promoted as being one of the most awarded new cars ever."
Everyone else talking about how this might hurt Lancia's image, tell me a great car they have made in the last 20 years?
The new stratos is a hack up of an f430, they might make half a dozen but the only reason it wears a lancia badge is because its a throwback, the company had very little to do with it.
cz_75 says:
02:22 AM, 12/16/2010
Suffice it to say the only Lancia I'd want to see here would be a Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione, but only if they restyle the current monstrosity that is the Delta series.
cz_75 says:
02:18 AM, 12/16/2010
Which awards did the Chrysler 300 win?
Car most favored by rappers, gangstas and pimps?
Most-slabsided with shortest greenhouse?
EliPDX says:
02:17 AM, 12/16/2010
Lancia hasn't been independent for over forty years, and has relied almost exclusively on Fiat engines and architectures the entire time. Lancia and Alfa Romeo both have become shadows of their former selves due to reliance on FWD economy car architectures.
Joining Chrysler was pure genius. It gave Fiat group access to sophisticated but affordable RWD , 4WD, and AWD platforms, and mass market V6 and V8 engines ready to be updated with Fiat's MultiAir valve system and direct injection. This is what Lancia and Alfa need to be taken seriously as producers of sporting and/or luxury cars in Europe alone.
Ignore the rantings of shouldermonkey and her/his ilk. The "Legacy of Lancia" DEPENDS on access to accessible, state of the art RWD platforms and V6 and V8 engines that Fiat couldn't provide them with previously, and she/he assumes that none of us have researched "The New Stratos". It is the product of "one off" coach building for a multi-millionaire client. It's fascinating and inspirational, but as anyone can see, it is NOT an actual Lancia, and has NOTHING to do with an official "rerelease" (sic) or "revamp". And it is anything but "Lancia friendly". "Trash talk" is trash based and offends everyone who actually pursues success.
dvsuton12 says:
11:25 PM, 12/15/2010
I have to agree 100% with Colorado 1974. He is right on with his comment about Paul and Edmunds.com
etanretla says:
09:58 PM, 12/15/2010
whats up with the audi headlights???