#LanciaDelta

Chrysler has launched their first two re-badged Lancia product in the UK (where the Lancia brand has been defunct for a number of years), with a pair of hatchbacks based on the Lancia Delta and Ypsilon compact and subcompact cars.

Fiat will be gradually discontinuing the beautiful Alfa Romeo 159, as reports have indicated that production of the 159 has come to an end at the assembly plant in Naples, Italy. Last minute 159 buyers may have some luck because the vehicle has been stockpiled by dealers ahead of the factory’s temporary closure.

Fulvia. Delta Integrale. Beta Montecarlo. There are some of the storied nameplates a car enthusiast normally associates with the Lancia brand. Now those models will be joined by some less illustrious names, like the Sebring and PT Cruiser if Fiat’s newest scheme comes to fruition.

Chrysler had previously announced that a selection of Fiat-based compact cars was slated to hit the market in early 2012.  But in a sign of rapid progress at Chrysler (or anxiety over the supposed apocalypse), CEO Sergio Marchionne said in a conference call that work on the vehicles is advancing sooner than the company anticipated, and it should appear in the fourth quarter of 2011.

With little more than a new grille and badging, Chrysler is displaying a possible future hatchback model at the Detroit Auto Show. With little else new other than some facelifted models for 2010, the unnamed Chrysler hatch stays true to the premium outlook that the Fiat-controlled company has for the brand. The large five-door hatch is sold in Europe under Fiat’s Lancia brand as the Delta.

Contrary to previous reports that Chrysler will not present any new models at the Detroit Auto Show in just a few weeks, there is now word that the struggling U.S. automaker will show a new car based on a Lancia platform. The Lancia badge is a sub-brand under Fiat, which now runs Chrysler.