In January, the Chrysler Group will sneak an Alfa dressed like a Dodge into the Detroit auto show.  Chrysler announced Tuesday that it would bring back the Dart nameplate for Dodge’s first compact sedan since the Neon was phased out in 2005. And judging by the Dart’s Italian pedigree, it will not be the plain vanilla scoop of the ’60s that its namesake was — even in Swinger guise — nor will it be a Hemi-powered limited-edition monster like the version fielded by Dodge in 1968.  Chrysler said that the 2013 Dodge Dart was “adapted from the award-winning Alfa Romeo Giulietta,” the sinuous hatchback that replaced the 147 in Alfa’s product lineup in 2010. In its announcement, Chrysler liberally sprinkled clues that the Dart would contain significant quantities of Alfa-derived equipment, though the car would not simply be a Giulietta with a cross-hair grille in lieu of the Alfa shield.  Kristin Starnes, a Dodge spokeswoman, said in a telephone interview that the Dart would be longer and wider than the Giulietta, and that it would be a four-door sedan rather than a four-door hatchback, the only Giulietta body style offered.  In tightly cropped teaser photos, the rear bumper sculpting and front fender lines of the Dart bore a resemblance to those of the Giulietta, though the elongated rear-taillight array was pure Challenger.  Though output levels were not disclosed, Chrysler announced that the Dart would be available with three different power plants from Fiat, the corporate parent of Chrysler and Alfa: a 16-valve 2-liter 4-cylinder; a 16-valve 1.4-liter turbo 4-cylinder with Fiat’s MultiAir valve-throttling system; and a 16-valve 2.4-liter 4-cylinder with MultiAir. Three transmissions, also undisclosed, would be offered.  Four-wheel independent suspension and optional 18-inch wheels are there to round out the Dart’s sporting persona.  Rick Deneau, a Chrysler spokesperson, said in a separate telephone interview that the Fiat architecture on which the Dodge Dart was built would eventually serve as a foundation for several compact and midsize Chrysler Group products. The architecture is said to be composed of 68 percent high-strength steel. That, according to Chrysler, is an industry-leading percentage that results in a very strong and rigid body unit.  And while much of its content may be derived from Italy, the new Dart will remain true to its namesake in one way, in that it will be built in the United States, at Chrysler’s plant in Belvidere, Ill. Pricing and availability should be announced at the Detroit show in January.
The compact sedan, based on a platform used by Alfa Romeo, is the clearest collaboration to date between a Chrysler brand and its corporate parent, Fiat.