What's Wrong With This Picture: A Long Journey To Freemont Edition
With a number of shocking nameplate-engineering jobs on deck (who’s ready for a Chrysler 200-based Lancia Flavia?), Fiat’s easing into things with one of the more innocuous moves on the to-do list: rebadging Dodges Journey as a Fiat. In Europe, the Freemont will slip into obscurity between Fiat’s Qubo and Doblò, much as the real Fremont struggles to serve as more than a unnecessary and unwanted distraction between Oakland and San Jose. And even though European buyers don’t buy many midsized crossovers, and don’t come to Fiat when they do, the Journey has been reworked to live up to the refined tastes of the European soccer mom. From retuned steering and suspension, to diesel engines, a new instrument panel and more soft-touch materials, The Freemont is a Dodge Journey for people who aren’t willing to buy shockingly poor-quality vehicles on the strength of inane advertising alone. And since they’re not calling it the Multipla, there’s no tip-toeing around comparisons to storied predecessors. But the fact that Fiat isn’t used to selling vehicles like the Journey is already showing up in its marketing literature, which enigmatically refers to the Freemont as a
“factotum vehicle” which has been “designed to meet the diverse needs of families and those seeking a spacious, comfortable and versatile vehicle to cater for the frenetic pace of everyday life or weekend leisure time”
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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being sold through the 2nd largest network in the country, and using the brand (and being backed by that brand), i1m sure the obsucre Journey will imorove sales 10-fold. From less than 100 a month to around 500 to 700 a month. Be happy boys , it'll send money to Italy and America! WIll be best selling Chrysler since the 70s. Though Chrysler no more. Here the diesel versin will outsell the flex fuel version from 8 to 10 - 1. And to commentator above, don't worry. Neon is in the works. Doubt is if it will be based on Bravo or Linea (heard that story today in the morning - breaking news - or hearsay - but the guy I talked to ususally is in the know).
Ed, Nasty job of trolling in your own blog! Threatening desecration of the Flavia legend in the first line of your piece. What's next, trashing of the memories of the Fulvia or the Flaminia? Lets hope the cross pollination of the Lancia and Chrysler brands improves both.