FCA’s game of transatlantic ping-pong has truly begun in earnest. First, Fiat brought the 500 to North America. Then Dodge sent the Journey in the opposite to become the Fiat Freemont. After that, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta was enlarged and sedanified to become the Dodge Dart. Now Fiat’s taken the Dart, de-Dodgified it, made it generally more attractive, and unveiled it as the Aegea project at the Istanbul auto show for European, Middle Eastern, and African consumption.
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The Istanbul debut makes sense, as the Aegea will be built by Tofaş in Bursa, Turkey. The company’s majority ownership is held jointly by Koç holdings and FCA, and the Bursa facility largely—but not exclusively—produces Fiat commercial vehicles. They also build the Fiat-based Peugeot Bipper, Citroën Nemo, and Opel Combo.
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Outside, the Aegea dispenses with Dodge’s tired trademark crosshair grille in favor of a more modern, toothy piece, and dumps the racetrack taillights for a pair of discrete, nicely styled rear lamps. The hood’s power bulge is carried through and inverted via a crease in the roof, hinting at Italianate double-bubbleness. Though the dash retains the Dart’s fundamental dash layout, including the UConnect infotainment system, the execution is a bit more adult, featuring a winglike silver strip running the width of the car.
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Powertrain options consist of a pair of diesels and a duo of gasoline units, making between 94 and 118 horsepower, backed by your choice of diesel or automatic transmissions. Fiat claims that the Aegea was “Born to be a Sedan”, which we suppose is true, if one takes the Dart as its only parent (asexual reproduction among nonsentient objects!) and ignores the hatchback Giulietta lineage. Regardless, there’s some fine styling going on here, and we’d love to see the Aegea cross the Atlantic to enliven the Dodge lineup. If they’ll change it, we can’t say. But perhaps Dodge would like it better this way?
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