Chrysler announces the all-new Chrysler 300 Luxury Series Sedan, a new flagship that will hit the US market in early 2012. The car is following in the footsteps of the 300C and 300S Executive Series announced at the New York Auto Show earlier this year, and will be available with two engine options: the Chrysler 300 Luxury Series will come with a 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine producing 292 hp, whereas the 300C Luxury Series will be powered by a larger 5.7-litre HEMI V8 unit with 363 hp.

The most distinguishing features of the new line will be the heavily revised interior (now with Premium Nappa leather, Real Natural Pore Mocha wood trim with matte finishing and world-class craftsmanship and refinement courtesy of their new Italian allies), an 8-speed automatic transmission (courtesy of renowned German company ZF), 12-way power-adjustable driver and front-passenger seats with two-mode ventilation and two-mode heated seats for both front and rear passengers, “platinum-chrome” trim on front grille, door mirrors and handles, and 19″ or 20″ polished wheels for AWD and RWD versions respectively. Besides, Chrysler 300 Luxury Series Sedan comes with the largest touchscreen infotainment system in its segment.

The Chrysler 300 is the model on which the Lancia Thema is based on, therefore this new line might even appear in Europe at some point, although with a different name and badge. Click on the ‘Continue Reading ‘ link below to see the official Press Release.

View the full Chrysler 300 Luxury Series Sedan photo gallery

Continue reading: Chrysler announces 300 Luxury Series Sedan

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During a recent event for the presentation of the new Thema, Lancia managing director Saad Chebab denied rumors of a possible station wagon version of Chrysler 300 as the investment required for the project would be too high in relation to the profit it might bring. “Sales in the US for estates are too slow to justify the development costs” Chebab said, adding that, by extension, no plans for a Lancia Thema estate are in the works either.

Chebab then revealed that a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission will replace the five-speed gearbox on rear-wheel drive models in 2012, and that a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine will also be made available alongside an all-wheel drive version in the course of the same year.

via | Autocar

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Lancia has come back to take over the E segment with a saloon that in these last months has been probably over-discussed and sometimes over-criticised. Nevertheless, all interest surrounding Lancia Thema’s launch can be interpreted as a positive signal and here is a chance to critically analyse if detractions were based on real flaws or just sparked by concerns about Lancia’s identity as a brand.

But let’s start by going straight to the point: we think that the Thema is a remarkable car, valid, reliable, quite refined and of obvious qualities such as being the 15% cheaper if compared to one of the German vehicles in the same segment. Its appearance is quite flashy, with 20in alloy wheels, eye-catching fenders and vertical rear lights that Lancia Designers have compared to Lancia Flaminia’s optical units.

From an aesthetic point of view due to features such as the chrome elements, Lancia Thema doesn’t fit the image of the typical European vehicle nevertheless its elegance is unquestionable. In this regard, we think that the purple-brown tone chosen for the official photo shoot is extremely appropriate and makes it look even more stylish.

Continue reading: Lancia Thema test drive: first impressions

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Lancia has just released a video of its new Thema. The clip includes both static and dynamic shots of this new flagship car, which derives from the Chrysler 300. Soon we will also post the results of our test drive: watch this space.

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The new Lancia Thema has been officially unveiled. The new flagship from the historic Italian brand has been developed in the US, on the same LX platform on which Chrysler’s 300 model is based, with front-mounted engine and rear wheel drive, and will hit the showrooms at the end of this month with Fiat Group expecting to sell 10,000 units in the first year.

The car will come with diesel and petrol engines: the Pentastar V6 3.6-litre petrol delivers 286 hp and 340 Nm of torque, that combined with an 8-speed automatic transmission can push the Thema up to 240 km/h top speed. Then there is the V6 3.0-litre M-jet II diesel engine developed by VM, which will be available in two power levels: 190 hp (with 440Nm of torque) and 239 hp (550Nm), both of which coupled with 5-speed automatic transmission. As for the interiors, the Thema uses soft touch materials, luxury interior trims and real wood inserts on centre console, doors, panels and steering wheel. Sapphire Blue LED lighting has been chosen for instrumentation, cabin and dashboard, in the middle of which there’s the huge U-Connect system 8.4″ touchscreen - the largest of its category - providing the passengers with all the technology and connectivity they might need.

LED head and tail lights, bi-xenon headlights, panoramic roof, rearview camera, chrome-plated mirrors and oval twin tailpipes are just a few of the other remarkable features of this car, which can arguably be considered the first global flagship as only front grille design and a few other aesthetic details makes the Thema different from its American sister.

View the full Lancia Thema photo gallery

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The first spy shots of the new Chrysler 300 have emerged, among much speculation as to the future of Chrysler models and the collaboration with Fiat. The new Chrysler 300 C is expected to debut sometime in 2010 as the first Chrysler to be produced under the Fiat banner.

The aim is to provide some credible competition for Cadillac and we should see the Chrysler 300 become more luxurious and include additional optional extras. It should be equipped with the new V6 Pentastar, and a top-of-the-range SRT-8 could also be produced.

There has been more than enough conjecture about which Fiat/Alfa models are going to the US, who’s staying at home and which little piggy is replacing another. So until we have more concrete news, enjoy the spy shots and we’ll keep you updated.

Source | Speedlux.com

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