Chrysler 300C platform to underpin Alfa flagship sedan?

One of the fruits of the Fiat-Chrysler alliance will be an Alfa Romeo sedan flagship spawned off the LX platform that underpins the Chrysler 300C and Dodge Charger and Challenger, according to industry analyst IHS Global Insight.

The all-new Alfa 169 sedan will debut in 2011 and be built at the Bramalea Production facility in Ontario, Canada, according to IHS Global.

It's destined to replace the 166, which was sold in Australia from 1999 to 2007. However, this car failed to generate significant sales numbers throughout its lifespan, even after a 2004 facelift alleviated the droopy-nosed look of the original.

Be that as it may, the Italian marque appears determined to press on with a replacement large sedan, and IHS Global suggests the new model will cost $62,000 ($A77,350) when it launches in the US in two years.

No word on what the source of motive power will be for the rear-drive flagship sedan, nor what it will look like, but expect something better resolved than the slightly clumsy looking 166.

Meanwhile, lower down the scale, the Fiat Group is set to slot its MultiAir engines into the Alfa MiTo from September, and the unique selling point of these powerplants is that they increase power and torque, while decreasing fuel consumption and emissions.

MultiAir is claimed to optimise the quantity and characteristics of the fresh air charge in the cylinders, making for more efficient combustion.

The 1.4-litre MultiAir engine will be available internationally with three different power levels -- 78kW, 101kW and 127kW. The latter engine will be offered only in the range-topping Quadrifoglio Verde (Green Cloverleaf).

The MultiAir-powered MiTo is expected to launch in Australia in late 2010, and will feature a fuel-saving Start&Stop system.

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