2011 has been a busy year in the Winding Road offices, with auto shows, new model launches, and the usual comings and goings of the automotive industry filling the virtual pages of our website. Even with all the activity, there has been a near-constant stream of automobiles filtering in and out of our parking lot, giving us no shortage of vehicular material to write about.
While those of us Stateside anxiously await the arrival of products from the Fiat portfolio, our friends in the Boot country are finally getting their own taste of the Chrysler/Fiat relationship. This is the Fiat Freemont. And yes, it is a Dodge Journey with Fiat badges and a slightly modified grille.
The long march to bring Fiat’s effervescent 500 from Europe to the shores of the US is nearly complete. Fiat showed us the North American version of the Cinquecento a few months ago at the LA show (read the full details, including press release, here), and now has brought the city car to Detroit for our viewing pleasure.
According to Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, the company will likely bring Alfa Romeo vehicles to American dealerships starting in late 2012. He didn’t reveal which models would be sold, but the Alfa Romeo Giulia (Alfa’s 159 replacemnt) and MiTo sound like likely prospects.