Independent designer David Cardoso has released the images of his latest concept, an hypothetic and quite interesting Lancia flagship called Imperiale. The concept uses the same styling language adopted by recent Lancia models such as the Ypsilon, Delta and Thesis, with a front-end sporting the classic grille and a quite original headlight layout, whereas the rear end is even more unusual, with a tail-light design that we have never seen before. The car as a whole is quite round-shaped, and its design is both original and loyal to the styling adopted by Lancia for its most recent models. With one exception.

One cannot help but notice how different this concept is in comparison to the recently unveiled ‘real’ Lancia flagship, the Thema, which is basically a re-badged Chrysler 300. In a conversation with website CarScoop, Mr.Cardoso admitted that he is definitely not a fan of the model, which somewhat inspired him to create the Imperiale: “When Lancia recently brought out the Thema that is based on the American Chrysler 300C, I was let down by Lancia as it disowned its own Italian design language. The Imperiale is an attempt to create a worthy Thesis successor“. We have to say that we actually see his point there.

via | CarScoop

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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 Lancia Thema will soon be available on the European market as the rebadged Chrysler 300 and so it gets its official debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The new Italian flagship sedan clearly has an American flavour and the project is one whose future is definitely unkown - will Lancia’s new bid at providing a top-range luxury sedan work off the back of its US cousin?

It’s all to be revealed. In the meantime, the Lancia Thema is a rear-wheel drive model with multi-link suspension and two engine options: one petrol and one diesel. The petrol is a 3.6-litre V6 Pentastar with 286 hp and and eight-speed automatic gearbox, and the diesel is a three-litre V6 unit with either 190 or 239 hp and a five-speed automatic transmission.

It’s on the inside that Lancia has done its work to try and make the Thema less Chrysler-ish (or so says Lancia). It gets luxury materials like soft touch fabrics, Frau and nappa leather seats, wooden trim and a Uconnect multimedia system with an 8.4 inch screen. Other features on the car include ESC stability control, various brake system technology, cruise control, forward collision warning and blind spot detection technologies. It’s a pretty impressive package on the whole but whether it will cut it against the German competitors in this segment is a tough call.

Continue reading: Lancia Thema at Frankfurt

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Converting the Chrysler 300 into the Lancia Thema hasn’t been an easy task and the Italians at least, not to mention Europe in general, are divided over how the transformation from American flagship to European luxury might occur. In this case we get a look at a rendering of a new Lancia E-segment flagship sedan.

The rendering comes from design student Alessandro Masera who has tried to create a “sweeter” and more international line to the car, giving it a coupé look with a Chrysler front end. The designer has taken the rear and sides of the new Lancia Ypsilon and adapted them to the larger model, and has kept a vertical rear light to stay subtle.

As our guys at Autoblog.it say, it’s not the Chrysler 300 per se that many were undecided over - the large American sedan has an individual style and an appeal all its own. The problem lies more in taking that, slapping a Lancia badge on the front and making a ho-hum reference to European styling.

The Lancia-Chrysler partnership still has a long road ahead and we’ll probably get used to the creations that come of it, and even learn to appreciate them more as they (hopefully) carve out a style of their own. In the meantime, this new Lancia Thema rendering might not be exactly the way to go, but any additional imagination on this front is welcome.

Lancia-Chrysler new sedan rendering

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Lancia-Chrysler CEO Olivier Francois has talked of the new Lancia Thema and the direction the Italian brand is going, in an interview with German magazine Handelsblatt. It’s an interesting mix to have a French CEO heading a new Italian-American merger where the Italian brand has just borrowed heavily from its US cousin to update its fading range.

Francois is bullish about the new Thema. He says: “Whoever drives the new Thema will understand that it’s the best of the E segment. Lancia competition in Europe and America per Chrysler will be Audi, BMW and Lexus.” So just how much hope is being invested in the new Thema and are we talking Chrylser, Lancia or both?

On hearing this declaration on the new possibilities that Lancia will compete in the luxury field, there will be more than one raised eyebrow. It’s where Lancia has always wanted to play, but where of late, it has missed the mark. Francois explains his reasoning thus: “If our cars have excellent quality, performance and technology, and are less expensive than the competition, why shouldn’t customers take them into consideration?”

Continue reading: Olivier Francois: Lancia to compete with BMW, Audi through 300C/Thema

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Fiat plans that it’s new Dodge Journey-based Fiat Freemont will sell 40,000 models annually in Europe. The target is to sell 20,000 models in Italy alone and the same across the other European markets. The Freemont will have a starting price of about €25,000.

The figures are ambitious but not necessarily impossible to reach. The Fiat Croma, which had a brief and not particularly illustrious career, managed to sell 65,000 models in a year. What’s more, the Freemont will be sold in a different commercial context. It will be the Italian company’s first large MPV, based on a solid vehicle that while American, won’t be unpleasing to the European public.

Fiat sales and marketing boss Andrea Formica confirmed the targets and has also previously stated in an interview: “We’re not trying to hide its [the Freemont’s] American origins, nor do we want to highlight them as a marketing instrument.” The Freemont is not a particularly original model, but then many Fiats aren’t and the company has built its image as an economical, family friendly brand in its local market.

Continue reading: Fiat Freemont: to sell 40,000 and change the Fiat image

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We saw the interior of the new Lancia Thema at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, but here are the official Thema interior pics from the company. We can see some of the changes made to the model to give it a more European feel and it’s predictably luxurious, too. That luxury, and the Lancia badge featured prominently in the cabin, might go some way to convincing buyers that this is a European luxury sedan, despite its adaptation from a Chrysler model. As we’ve already said, despite all the fanfare live at Geneva, we’re not convinced by the new line of Lancias but we’ll have to wait and see for a final judgement.

Lancia Thema interior pics

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It’s not an easy task to evaluate the Lancia Thema for a European audience, let alone traditional Lancia fans who aren’t very impressed with the American design masquerading as a Lancia. The “new” Thema is just one of the borrowed Chrysler models that now comprise the updated Lancia range.

So far the verdict from the pundits seems to be that the Thema won’t be a great success for Lancia - it hasn’t been Lancia-ised enough to appeal to the traditional Lancia public, nor to the broader European car market. The model keeps the 3.6-litre V6 Pentastar engine with 292 hp and eight-speed automatic transmission, and gets a new three-litre V6 diesel with 190 or 224 hp and a five-speed automatic transmission..

Unless customers were already interested in the Chrysler option, it might be difficult for Lancia to place its new Thema model and we imagine it won’t exactly be economic. It’s not the model in itself as clearly it’s a quality car with some good attributes - it’s just that whether it works in Europe with a Lancia badge might prove to be difficult.

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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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