The New Reborn Lancia Thema

After Fiat acquired Chrysler, we can say a new era has begun for the Italian carmaker’s premium brand, Lancia. A new era which, at least in its first phases, is strongly connected to already known American premium cars. And we’re talking about the “new” Lancia Thema, which is basically a rebadged Chrysler 300.

The Lancia Thema’s world debut took place earlier this year, at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, where the audience received an impressive speech about the wonderful, “new” car, even though the differences between the Thema and the Chrysler 300 are minor. Just look at the front part where, except for the new “Lancia” badge and a small redesign of the front bumper’s lower part, there’s nothing changed.

Things aren’t the same on the interior, where Lancia was a bit more careful about the car, with an interesting customization program to be available for customers, including luxury wood inserts or exclusive Poltrona Frau leather upholstery.

Looking at the car’s technical aspects, the most important changes involve the drivetrain and the steering, the car being more agile and maneuverable than its American twin. Under the bonnet, the Lancia Thema will be available with a V6 diesel engine and a Chrysler-sourced V6 petrol unit, while a hybrid powertrain is currently being developed by Fiat for the Thema. The 3.0-liter diesel complies with Euro 5 emissions standards and is being offered in two power output choices: 190 hp and 224 hp, the second version also delivering an impressive torque, 550 Nm.

The 3.6-liter V6 petrol engine is part of the Pentastar engine range developed by Chrysler and has a maximum power output of 292 hp. Power is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and the estimated performance numbers are not disappointing at all: 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.2 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).

The new Lancia Thema’s sales in Europe are scheduled to start this Fall and the car will be available with two trim levels, Golf and Platinum. Pricing has yet to be revealed by Fiat, but the company’s officials said that the car will compete in the premium class elite segment, which means it will probably not be cheap.

Once the Lancia Thema will go on sale, the Chrysler 300 won’t be available in Europe anymore, especially because the American car’s sales weren’t impressive at all and Lancia hopes that Thema will perform better in this market.


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