We were hardly in time to write about the axing of the Lancia Flavia sedan for Europe with the appearance of only the cabrio model, when Lancia officially announced the Lancia Flavia cabriolet at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. It has obviously done so with no mention of the sedan, but the announcement confirms that the Chrysler 200 open top will be coming to Europe.

In these pics, the Lancia Flavia is looking quite good and thanks to Chrysler the brand returns to the cabrio segment. The model is 4.9 metres long with space for four adults and has a new Lancia badge upfront matched by 18-inch wheels and LED technology on the rear lights.

The soft top roof opens and shuts mechanically and has apparently been designed to store away so that the car keeps its sleek lines when cruising with the top down. The interior gets some swanky Lancia finishes with chrome trim, leather seats, multifunction steering wheel and touch screen display. In fact there will only be one Flavia cabrio model available, that is Full Optional with a 2.4-litre aspirated petrol unit with 175 hp and six-speed automatic gearbox. We’ve only got this one photo from Lancia, so we’ll have to wait for Frankfurt for more pics and details.

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When you read that about half of all vehicles sold on the European car market are diesels you understand just what it means to launch something like a sedan model without a diesel variant on the old continent - like shooting yourself in the foot. So for this reason, according to Automotive News, the Lancia-Chrysler partnership has decided to leave the Chrysler 200 in the US and bring only the convertible model to Europe as the Lancia Flavia cabriolet.

The news builds on recent reports that the Lancia Flavia project had been postponed indefinitely - or at least until the 2013 model rolled around with some added European design input. According to the ANE report, it was too expensive to develop and fit a diesel engine in the Chrysler 200. So why does the cabrio get to travel when its hardtop sister doesn’t?

The answer to that is that the Lancia Flavia cabriolet should be good looking enough to still attract customers, according to Fiat insiders. Like the difference between a sister who wears a turtle neck and the sister who goes for cleavage instead… forget the diesel, it’s all about tops off and summer motoring.

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The 2011 Geneva Motor Show featured the new Fiat-Chrysler deal strutting its stuff as the Lancia brand got a much-needed refresh in the form of a few rebadged Chryslers. Providing some new models in the range is essential to hauling Lancia out of a one-car line-up with the Ypsilon and into the real luxury market it presumes to occupy.

New reports from LeftLaneNews indicate though, that the Chrysler 200 - to be rebadged as the Lancia Flavia - may not make it to production under the Italian brand. It was launched strictly as a concept and its heritage with the Chrysler Sebring, an unpopular model in Europe, means the project may never see the light of day.

While the Lancia Them (Chrysler 300C) and the Grand Voyager will take on the task of bring Lancia into the large, luxury segment, the smaller Flavia in both sedan and cabriolet form now looks to be delayed. If the redesigned 2013 Chrysler 200 turns out to be a good model, the Flavia nameplate revival could occur with that future model.

The future Chrysler 200 will be based on the C-Evo platform and will get some European design input to make it more appealing on that market. With the current Flavia concept labelled as unprofitable, it will be a couple of years yet before Lancia gets its mid-size sedan which it’s going to need for any real credibility on the European car market.

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Thanks to Chrysler, Lancia has launched an entire range at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, finally providing a complete and comprehensive offering that no longer has much to do with the origins of the Lancia brand, but that might at least give it some added relevance. The models on show at Geneva are: the new Lancia Ypsilon, the brand’s small flag bearer of late, the Lancia Delta model year 2011 concept, the Lancia Thema, the Voyager, the Lancia Flavia and the Flavia Cabrio.

The Lancia Ypsilon has a load to bear for such a small model and the update version is hoped to continue the success of this 25-year old model. It will be on sale starting from June in most European markets, and will appear as a Chrysler model in the UK and Ireland from September.

The Lancia Flavia models are currently considered concept models but are only just short of production, according to Olivier Francois. He says that if the response is positive, the Flavia models could be into production within six months. The Lancia gallery below live from Geneva shows all the razzle dazzle of the presentation… but will they pull this off?

New Lancia range live at 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Continue reading: New Lancia range from Chrysler live at Geneva

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According to reports the Chrysler 200 could come to Europe as the Lancia Flavia. We had originally reported on the possibility of the Chrysler 200 in Europe as a fleet car, and now it looks like it could be rebadged as a Lancia model, bearing the name Flavia in statements from Sergio Marchionne, Fiat-Chrysler CEO.

Apparently Marchionne has said: “The Chrysler 200, cabrio included, will come to Europe under the Lancia brand and Flavia is a good proposal for a name.” According to the guys at Autoblog.it, the name is a joke at this stage (and we’re hoping they’re right). The Chrysler 300C will go on show at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show under the Lancia badge, and we could see the Chrysler 200 do the same.

Apparently the 300C could take on the historic name Thema under the Lancia brand, and a new Phedra is likely to appear as the European take on the Grand Voyager. The 200 sedan should only become a transition model as a new generation based on a Fiat platform should be available in 2013.

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