Fiat picks Lancia over Chrysler as badge for combined European lineup

April 22, 2010 Omar Rana

The Lancia and Chrysler branding decision, which was announced yesterday during Fiat’s 5-years business plan presentation, ended months of speculation and debate on how the automaker would market the combined lineup across Europe. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said that all Lancia and Chrysler vehicles sold in continental Europe will wear the Lancia badge, while the Chrysler badge will only be used on Lancia and Chrysler cars sold in the UK and Ireland.

“The Lancia brand will be most impacted by the Chrysler alliance as the two ranges will be fully integrated into a new full-liner brand,” Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said.

Fiat chose to predominately use the Lancia brand because consumer study shows that in Europe Lancia cars could command a higher price than Chrysler.

Lance sales grew 9.2 percent to 112,000 in 2009, while Chrysler brand sales decline 60.2 percent to 11,500 units.