Italian-American fixes are usually messy and on the quiet, but few are playing down Alfa's role in providing the basis for Dodge's new Dart in Detroit. Faced with an awkward Caliber-sized hole in its range Dodge has borrowed the Giulietta and made it its own with the new Dart. It's not immediately obvious outside either, with Dodge's sheet metal changes really rather good - nothing like as badge engineered as some Fiat-Chrysler mash-ups - such as the Chrysler Delta.
Picking up where the Neon (rather than the really quite rubbish Caliber) left off, the Dart follows convention. No hatchback-cum SUV with tailgate disco silliness here then, just a compact four-door saloon with neat lines, a decent interior finish and some familiar Dodge trim. There'll be SE, SXT, Rallye, Limited and R/T versions to choose from, the entry-level cars getting a base 2.0-litre petrol unit, with 2.4-litre naturally aspirated and a 1.4-litre turbocharged MultiAir engine also offered. There'll be a choice of two automatics - a twin clutch on the 1.4 MultiAir - and a six-speed manual as standard in the line-up.
Cabin quality is certain to wow, with even Europe's worst interiors better than the best of most US brands'. Being based on the Giulietta's cockpit is a good thing then, with quality light years ahead of the not-good-enough-for-Christmas-cracker-toys plastics that featured in the Caliber and Neon.
Sadly, there are no plans to resurrect the Dodge brand in Ireland.