Lancia brings rebadged Chrysler models to join facelifted Delta in Geneva

Once upon a time, it used to be that an automaker would debut one, maybe two new products at a car show. Then Lotus came along and blew ‘em all out of the water with five new concept cars. Now Lancia is preparing to roll across the Alps and into Geneva with – how many? – six new debuts. Is the quasi-premium Italian automaker following the path set out by Lotus? Well, not quite.

In addition to the new Ypsilon – a genuinely new vehicle debut – Lancia is also lifting the veil on a subtly refreshed version of the Delta. But that’s not the end of it – they’ve also got the new Thema, Flavia, Flavia Cabrio and Grand Voyager. In case that last bit (or the title) didn’t tip you off, these four are little more thanChrysler models we already know (and in some cases love), albeit with Lancia grilles and badges.

The Flavia and Flavia Cabrio are Lancia-ized versions of the Chrysler 200 sedan and convertible, and are officially dubbed as “concepts” – a little backwards from how the usual path concept cars take to production, but globalization occasionally does strange things. The Thema is the Lancia version of the Chrysler 300sedan. And the Grand Voyager, well…we hope we don’t have to fill in the blanks on that bit.

Lancia’s Geneva lineup to include Chrysler 200-based Flavia

 

Some might deride Lancia as the Plymouth of the Fiat group, but instead of being killed off like the defunct American marque, the pseudo-premium Italian division is being teamed up with Chrysler in an effort to increase the Pentastar’s global reach while rejuvenating the Lancia brand. We’ve seen the pairing take effect already through the appointment of Lancia CEO Olivier Francois and the toe-in-the-water demonstration of a Chrysler-badged Lancia Delta at last year’s Detroit show, but it looks like things could finally materialize at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. There, according to the latest reports from Europe, the Fiat/Chrysler alliance will unveil a Lancia-fied version of the new Chrysler 200. The model is expected to revive the Flavia nameplate last seen in 1975 and receive only a few modifications, in the form of a new grille (natch), European-spec bumpers and the possible mechanical additions of a manual transmission and diesel engine. Headline though the development is, it is expected to be only one of several new debuts – some Chrysler-based, some not – that Lancia has planned for the Swiss expo. A Chrysler 300-based Thema flagship sedan is reportedly in the cards, as could be a Lancia version of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan (as a potential replacement for the Phedra that was jointly produced between Fiat and PSA). Finally, Lancia is expected to unveil the new Ypsilon hatchback, which itself could make its way Stateside as a Chrysler. Now all we need is a Pentastar-badged version of the New Stratos and we’ll be all set.