New 2013 Dodge Dart Compact Sedan Based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta

The Chrysler Group has resurrected the Dart nameplate from the 1960s for its new Dodge compact sedan model that will receive its world premiere at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in the second week of January.

The new Dart is the first Chrysler Group vehicle to be based upon a Fiat architecture as it makes use of a modified version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatchback's platform named Compact U.S. Wide (CUSW), which has been lengthened and widened to improve interior space.

The Detroit automaker says that 68 percent of the Dart's body is composed of high-strength steel, resulting in a "very strong and rigid structure".

Powering the 2013 Dodge Dart will be three four-cylinder gasoline powerplants including a new Tigershark 2.0-liter unit, a 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled Turbo engine that will most likely be shared with the Fiat Abarth 500 in the U.S., and a new Tigershark 2.4-liter MultiAir engine.

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Alfa Romeo Giulietta by Maserati to be Used as a Courtesy Car for the Trident Brand's Dealerships

Collaborations between two companies that belong in the same group is a common practice. However, platform or parts sharing, or even badge engineering, is not the only form of a partnership.

In 2008, Ferrari chose a limited edition of the Fiat 500 as a courtesy car for its customers. Now, two more brands of the Fiat group have emulated the Ferrari-Fiat move. Maserati has chosen Alfa Romeo's C-segment hatchback, the Giulietta, as a courtesy car for its clients in Europe.

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Dodge's Detroit Motor Show-Bound Sedan Model will Not be Called the Hornet

[2006 Dodge Hornet Concept pictured above]

We've known for a while now that Dodge plans to introduce a new compact sedan model based on a Fiat platform that will replace the Caliber at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next January.

While the company is keeping most of its cards close to its chest, Reid Biglund, head of the Dodge brand told the Detroit News we'll find out more in the coming weeks including the car's name which he says won't be Hornet as some media outlets suggested. "Hornet will not be the name," said Biglund.

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