Car year 2011: news from Italy

D he German manufacturers will bring more than three dozen new products in the coming year the market, the Japanese more than two dozen, the French at least ten - the Italians don't want to be left behind.

Fiat has a 25 percent stake in Chrysler. This means that the future of the Italians and the third largest US automaker will be one. Making mass is the credo of company boss Sergio Marchionne. Because, according to him, only those car manufacturers with around six million sales a year will survive in the long term. This is another reason why he is rigorously converting Chrysler.

In Europe, the Chrysler brand will completely disappear from the market. And vehicles like the successor to the Chrysler 300C are simply sold under the Lancia logo. Significantly more rounded than its predecessor, the Chrysler 300 will succeed the hapless Lancia Thesis from the IAA. The basic engine is the new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, which generates 286 hp and 354 Nm of torque. The top engine is a 5.7 liter V8 with 360 hp and 528 Nm torque. A new three-liter V6 turbodiesel with four-valve technology is being added for Europe, which was developed by the Italian engine specialist VM Motori. This has an output of 250 hp and a maximum torque of 550 Nm.

As the third member of the group, the Chrysler Grand Voyager on this side of the Atlantic can also act as a Lancia from the IAA. It will be a slightly modified successor to the outdated Lancia Phedra van. The small car Lancia Ypsilon, on the other hand, remains with its Italian roots, but will be completely redeveloped from the spring.

The same fate overtakes the US brand Dodge, which - in Europe - has recently already been a two-product -Brand was. The Dodge Caliber will be discontinued, the successor to the SUV Journey will return to the market in 2011 as Fiat Freemont after a year break. This celebrates its premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. The design is freshened up a bit, the interior revised. The rearmost of the three rows of seats can in future be completely sunk into the floor of the car. Under the hood, two common rail diesels with around 140 hp and 170 hp should be available at the start. A V6 petrol engine with a displacement of 3.6 liters and 276 hp followed later. Fiat also offers this engine and the more powerful diesel together with all-wheel drive. The Panda will also be new towards the end of 2011, and according to the business plan, a van version will also be available.

The future Lancia Flavia will also compete with US genes. Starting in the USA as Chrysler 200, sedans and convertibles will probably also be offered as Lancia in Germany. Under the bonnet of the Chrysler 200 Cabrio, a four-cylinder does its job, mobilizing 173 hp and 225 Nm from a displacement of 2.4 liters. If that's not enough, you can use the new 3.6 liter V6 engine with 283 hp and 352 Newton meters.

On the other hand, real Italian highlights are the new Ferrari FF and the Ferrari 458 Spider. The Ferrari FF as the 612 Scaglietti successor is already making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. The four-seater with the Shooting Brake rear will also be the first Ferrari to have all-wheel drive. In addition to the new 660 hp 6.3 liter V12 engine, the FF also offers a trunk with 800 liters of storage space. This means that golf bags can be accelerated from zero to 100 km /h in 3.7 seconds and transported at up to 335 km /h. The production version of the HY-Kers system will later make the Ferrari FF the first Ferrari hybrid model.

A tradition with Ferrari convertibles. The 458 was also stripped of its fixed roof at the IAA and entered as the 458 Spider. Technically, the 570 hp mid-engine sports car will not differ from the coupé.

Another super sports car from Italy, the Pagani Huayra, is at the start. The new carbon fiber flounder has a six-liter twin-turbo V12 engine from AMG in the rear. This contributes 700 hp and 1,000 Nm of torque. Coupled with a weight of only 1,350 kilograms, the Huayra hardly remains an opponent.

Unless it's called Aventador and comes to the Lamborghini stable. This, too, relies on extreme lightweight construction with a high level of carbon fiber. The new 6.5-liter V12 also develops 700 hp, which it permanently distributes to all four wheels. The new super bull will celebrate its premiere at the IAA in September.

As always, you can find all details about the 2011 car year from an Italian perspective in the large photo show.