Hatchback would be cool. I must be the only one who thinks the Alfa looks like crap, too.
Hatchback would be cool. I must be the only one who thinks the Alfa looks like crap, too.
Fusion and Mazda6 still share the same engines, the Ford's is tuned a bit different. You can also get AWD on the Fusion but not the Mazda. The Fusion, despite not looking as good as the Mazda, is still on the test drive list.
I'm guessing that Dodge will offer it in both hatch and sedan. While hatchback sales aren't as low as they used to be compared to sedans, I don't think we're at the stage where a hatchback will be offered with no sedan option.
I think it looks very nice.
Here is the 2012 one.
One more, just because I like Alfas.
i will differentiate it in my own mind by referring to it as a buttdart, in order to not confuse it with cars i like, such as an actual dodge dart.
DoctorBlade wrote: Hatchback would be cool. I must be the only one who thinks the Alfa looks like crap, too.
It's not a hatch.
93EXCivic wrote:amg_rx7 wrote: So they are going to take a nice looking Alfa. Remove the nice looking front and rear and Uglify it in Dodge/Chrysler style and expect it to sell? Hmmm.... Why not just bring the damn Alfa over and let us buy a nice looking car w/o adding the Chrysler stink to it?I keep saying that.
Because Fiat and Alfa don't have a good reputation here in the states. I know, the haters are gonna say "neither does Dodge" but I've owned many Chrysler products. I've had one significant problem, that was handled under warranty. My dodge truck was sold with 365K on it, my wife's DD Grand Caravan has 110 on it, the lowest mileage Omni I've had was a 90K GLH (beat on!!!) and two others that were sold with over 150K on them. The list goes on.
The point is this, ask the general public what they think of Alfa or Fiat and it'll either be nothing or negative for the most part.
Oh, and all you guys saying that the Dodge front end is ugly, you like ute's don't you? That just erases any notion of you having any sense of taste or styling 
Oh, and underneath it's still has the euro bits, just more power.
In reply to DrBoost:
+1
Rusted_Busted_Spit wrote:
Gah I thought this was a family site ...
That angle and that color, the front end looks good. But the red car from the other side makes the grill look like a peep-hole.
DrBoost wrote: That angle and that color, the front end looks good. But the red car from the other side makes the grill look like a peep-hole.
I am pretty sure you need to get your eyes checked. 
93EXCivic wrote:DrBoost wrote: That angle and that color, the front end looks good. But the red car from the other side makes the grill look like a peep-hole.I am pretty sure you need to get your eyes checked.
Especially since he doesn't like utes...
DrBoost wrote: Dodge made it bigger because small cars don't sell in the volums they need it to sell at here in the U.S. Also, there was quite a bit of re-engineering because the Alpfhfa stuff didn't pass Chrysler's reliabitlity and durability testing. That's scary!
five years ago called.....they want their "what car sells" facts back.
Small cars sell in great volumes here in the U.S.....civic, corolla, focus, fiesta, and the list goes on. I guarantee all of those cars easily out-sell the behemoths that Chrysler keeps putting out (all of which, amazingly, LOOK even bigger than they already are).
What you meant to say is that Dodge doesn't sell small cars in volumes they need to sell them in.....because the only people that go into Dodge dealers are people who want minivans, pickup trucks, and "things with a Hemi."
Chrysler has an image problem - the only people going to check out Chrysler/Dodge cars are the ones who are interested in those three types or other bull-nosed wannabe Chargers....
A smaller car would sell just fine, assuming it was a good car, and assuming they badged it with one of Chrysler's other marques. Like Alfa or Fiat.
Ford and GM have figured out where the market is going. Chrysler is still apparently embarassed over the k-cars and the dead Plymouth nameplate where most of their reasonably-selling smaller cars existed in the past.
belteshazzar wrote: i will differentiate it in my own mind by referring to it as a buttdart, in order to not confuse it with cars i like, such as an actual dodge dart.
there's a guy I always seem to get behind in traffic leaving my work compound who drives a Swinger. I chuckly every time I see it. Particularly because the Census Bureau dweebo driving it is about as un-swinger-ish as humanly possible from what I've seen
DrBoost wrote: The point is this, ask the general public what they think of Alfa or Fiat and it'll either be nothing or negative for the most part. .
Half the driving public these days weren't even out of grade school the last time Fiat or Alfa sold a car here, lol.
Alfa and Fiat could improve their public perception if they brought a cool, reliable sports sedan over here. The 500 is nifty, but it is niche and doesn't appeal to a large segment. Bring over something to compete with a TSX or small lexus/BMWs that looks stylish. Make damn sure it is reliable and perfect, because first impressions are what matters. Badge it as an Alfa, and don't have J.Lo as your marketing celebrity. Have that guy from "Transporter" or Hugh Jackman tout it, and half the middle-aged ladies in the country will run out and buy one because they love them, and guys will run out to buy one because they want to be them, lol.....
Once Alfa/Fiat has one big success story, the old horror stories and FixItAgainTony sayings will slowly start to fade.........
DrBoost wrote: That angle and that color, the front end looks good. But the red car from the other side makes the grill look like a peep-hole.
Alfa grills have never been particularly large. in some cases they got totally hidden behind the US Mandated 5mph bumpers.
irish44j wrote: Once Alfa/Fiat has one big success story, the old horror stories and FixItAgainTony sayings will slowly start to fade.........
I will never let that fade.
Besides, I thought alfas were still pretty but unreliable.
So long as we get some form of performance model I'm happy. Hows about a FWD model for the guys who've overboosted their SRT4s into the grave and an AWD model for those of us who don't like destroying rubber in 3rd gear(none of us)
As far as I'm concerned, the Dodge version looks better, and I hope the 8c makes its way over.
In reply to irish44j:
I think that what needs to be realized is that Chrysler NEEDS a small car. Fiat knows this and its utilizing what it has and what it has is a pretty good damn platform. This is a start. It's minimal engineering on an existing platform. It's been done before, it can be done again. I'm actually ok with this and I can't wait to see what the Dart ends up being.
Alfa will eventually come to the states, but I believe that it relies on Fiat's sales numbers.
I think the Dodge front end looks a bit better, maybe it's just me. I'm not surprised that they're planning it to be a sedan as that's what most Darts were... but as for 4 door Dart hatchbacks, it's not quite unprecedented...
irish44j wrote:DrBoost wrote: Dodge made it bigger because small cars don't sell in the volums they need it to sell at here in the U.S. Also, there was quite a bit of re-engineering because the Alpfhfa stuff didn't pass Chrysler's reliabitlity and durability testing. That's scary!five years ago called.....they want their "what car sells" facts back.
Last year answered the phone, here's what they had to say.
Top selling vehicels in the U.S. 2010:
1. Ford F150 (not a small car BTW)
2. Toyota Camry (not a small car BTW)
3. Chevy Silverado 1500 (not a small car BTW)
4. Honda Accord (not a small car BTW)
5. Honda Civic (getting there, but still not what I'd call small)
6. Toyota Corolla (again, smaller, but not small)
7. Nissan Altima (not small)
8. Honda CR-V (small for a cross-over, but not small)
9. Ford Fusion (do I need to go on?)
10. Chevy Malibu (???)
So, one out of the 10 cars is fairly close to the Alfa in size. But, the Civic has a stellar reputation for reliability and has had one since I was a wee lad, Alfa is either an unkown or has a negative rep here.
So, to the haters, let's discuss this.
You are the head of Alfa and you need to get a presence here in North America since this is a huge, and affluent market. You could just bring your cars over, sure. What would you have to do to make this happen? Well, get a dealer-base over here. There are plenty of empty dealerships around, but you still need to hire folks to staff those buildings. You need to make a name over here for those that don't know anything about Alfa, AND you need to erase the bad rep that exists in many minds.
OR you could approach a large automaker that is on the ropes (seems to live on the freakin ropes for some reason) and utilize the dealer network and employees they already have here. You can also use products they have for your brands (300C = Lacia Thema for starters). Then, when you get a foot-hold over here you kill all Chrysler products except trucks, Jeeps, and the minivans and move your products into place.
And don't get me started on the topic of the ute. Does anyone really thing this is a nice looking front end?
It looks like a cross-eyed parakeet.
Paint it like Tullius' old Dart, and take it SCCA Pro Racing in the World Challenge... I like...
In reply to DrBoost:
It looks better then most cars sold now.
Maroon92 wrote:Paint it like Tullius' old Dart, and take it SCCA Pro Racing in the World Challenge... I like...
Coincidentally, when Group 44 took the big bore Trans Am race with that Dart, the small bore winner was an Alfa.
In reply to belteshazzar:
Also, the new Dart must come in the same color as that swinger.
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