Whether the Alfa Romeo Giulietta – a lovely four-seat compact – makes it back to the U.S. is unclear.
Fiat-owned Chrysler will attempt to reenter the U.S. compact car market in 2013 with a Dodge Dart built from an Alfa Romeo platform. The all-new Dart is significant because it will be the first Chrysler Group vehicle based upon a Fiat architecture – in this case the Alfa Romeo Giulietta – and going forward most new vehicles from Chrysler will share Fiat platforms, engines and components.
New Dodge Dart Interior.
The new Dodge Dart will appear in modified form with a lengthened and widened platform, which Dodge claims will have segment-leading interior roominess. Dodge exited the compact car segment (or so-called c-car segment) when then owner Daimler killed the Neon back in 2005 – as gasoline was relatively cheap at just over $2 a gallon and truck and SUV sales were booming. The Neon nameplate goes back to the 1995 when Bob Lutz then at Chrysler boasted it would beat the Japanese in the economy car segment. It didn’t come close.
The all-new Compact U.S. Wide (CUSW) architecture of the new Dart first appeared as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, which replaced the 147 model in 2010. See Jim Dunne – Car Spy – New Chrysler Products based on Fiat Platform.
The all-new Compact U.S. Wide (CUSW) architecture of the Dart first appeared as the Giulietta, which replaced the 147 model in 2010.
The Alfa Romeo brand will be reintroduced to the U.S. starting in 2013 as part of the newly reborn Fiat franchise. Fiat dealers in the U.S. only have the 500 and some variants, including an Abarth performance version next year, to sell until then. It could be a long slog for them since 500 sales are currently well below expectations and Fiat has torn up its original BMW Mini-like marketing plan in favor of flashy celebrity ads. Whether the actual Alfa Romeo Giulietta – a lovely four-seat compact – makes it back to the U.S. is unclear. An Alfa two-seater is thought to be the first comeback car.
The 2013 Dodge Dart – unlike its ‘60s versions – will be powered by three four-cylinder engines: There’s what’s dubbed a new Tigershark 16-valve 2.0-liter engine, a 16-valve 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine, and a new Tigershark 16-valve 2.4-liter MultiAir four cylinder engine. Transmissions were unspecified, but look of 6-speed manual and automatic transaxles, and maybe a CVT.
Here's the current production Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
Dart will be built at Chrysler’s plant in Belvidere, Ill. Chrysler said it started refurbishing the plant a year ago with the construction of a 638,000-square-foot body shop, as well as the installation of new machinery, tooling and material handling equipment.
