Dodge Caliber Replacement Due For Detroit Show: Report

Talk of a new Fiat-based replacement for the ageing Dodge Caliber is building this week, with reports out of the US pointing to a 2012 debut in Detroit.

According to US magazine Ward's Auto, the as-yet-unnamed Caliber successor will appear at January's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).

The report adds that the new Dodge will share its platform with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta - but unlike the Dodge Journey that was rebadged this year as a Fiat Freemont for the European market, the Caliber's replacement will get its own unique styling.

This latest report follows comments from Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne earlier this year that confirmed a new Dodge car will share the Fiat-developed 'C-Evo' platform - to be transformed into a 'Compact Wide' platform for the US.

“The new architecture, which debuted with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, is the most advanced mass-produced car Fiat has ever had. At Chrysler, Dodge will use it first,” Marchionne told industry paper Automotive News.

Marchionne's comments and the new reports are in line with the company's roadmap, pointing to a Fiat-based model replacing the current Dodge Caliber in 2012.

The new model's styling remains shrouded, although concept art that surfaced online last year (above) offers a glimpse at what could be the sportiest compact car to wear a Dodge badge in a long time.