Dodge To Show Caliber Successor At 2012 Detroit Auto Show

Dodge hasn’t had a small car offering in their lineup since discontinuing Caliber production in 2010. There are plenty of 2011 Calibers leftover on dealer lots, but the car is a reminder of the “bad old days” at Chrysler. Like the Dodge Neon that preceded it, the Caliber was never known for its build quality, long term reliability or residual value.

Those days are in the past, and Dodge’s product line shows a clear effort to improve product quality. The interior of the new Journey, for example, is very impressive, as is the inside of the new Dodge Charger. You can’t fix all of a car company’s problems overnight, especially on a limited budget, so Chrysler is planning models and product introductions carefully.

It’s no secret that a new small car for both Dodge and Chrysler is coming in 2012, and the North American International Auto Show (also known as the Detroit Auto Show) is the best place to launch it.

That speculation seems to be confirmed by Wards Auto, which reports that Dodge will indeed unveil the replacement for the Caliber at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. It’s not yet known if the vehicle will retain the Caliber name, but our guess is that it won’t; after all, the Caliber never amassed much in the way of brand equity.

The Chrysler product equivalent won’t be revealed in Detroit, and it’s likely that both vehicles will be based on the Fiat C-Evo small car platform.

[Wards Auto (subscription required), via Autoblog]

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Dodge to reveal Caliber replacement at 2012 Detroit Auto Show

Mixed messages have come out of Chrysler regarding its future small car offerings, with some images and information suggesting a sedan will replace the Caliber, while others suggest a hatchback will return.

Leftlane commissioned an illustration based on a leaked image last year that took the form of a hatchback, but whether this illustration will be accurate or not will likely be confirmed at the upcoming 2012 North American International Auto Show, according to Wards Auto. A name has not yet been publicly revealed, but there is a strong chance Dodge will ditch Caliber and market the compact car as an entirely new vehicle – which it will be.

What is known about the car is that it will ride on an entirely new platform, known as the Compact Wide platform. The Compact Wide platform is expected to underpin a million units per year in the Fiat-Chrysler family by 2014.

“In developing the Compact architecture, we looked for best-in-class performances in terms of handling and steering response, weight-to-power ratio; noise, vibration and harshness, active and passive safety,” Stefano Re Fiorentin, Fiat’s head of advanced engineering told Automotive News.

Details of the new platform are expectedly sparse, but Chrysler did release that the new Compact Wide platform will utilize 84 percent high and ultrahigh strength steel – up from only 65 percent in Fiat’s previous C-platform.

Although Chrysler hasn’t directly confirmed which engines will be found in the Dodge variation of the Compact Wide platform, but based on earlier reports of the future engine lineup, we expect a new 1.4-liter unit as the base engine, with a turbocharged version of the same engine as a premium or sport offering. The new 1.4-liter engine is Fiat-sourced, known as FIRE, and contains Multiair technology. Fiat coined the term FIRE referring to “fully integrated robotized engine,” which describes the fully automated engine production process.

The 1.4-liter I-4 cylinder engines will feature 4 valves per cylinder and utilize fully variable-valve actuation, or FVVA, which is commonly known as Multiair. The Multiair technology helps to increase power by as much as 10 percent, increase torque by as much as 15 percent and reduce emissions and fuel consumption by up to 10 percent. The naturally aspirated engine is good for 100 horsepower and 95 lb-ft., while the turbocharged variant receives a significant bump to 170 horsepower and 170 lb-ft.

Marchionne also indicated that they expect to sell 700,000 Chrysler group vehicles per year on this platform, and 300,000 in Europe by 2014.

References
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2. ‘Report: 2013 Dodge…’ view
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