Dodge Cars Moving to Maserati Platform?

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s Dodge unit will use Maserati’s M157 platform rather than a previously planned Alfa Romeo chassis for future Challenger and Charger cars, according to Automotive News.  

The switch could delay the launch of the next-generation Dodge models until 2021, AN says. The newspaper didn’t cite its sources or list a reason for the change.

The five-year plan FCA announced in 2014 indicated the new Challenger and Charger models would arrive as soon as 2018. Those vehicles now are expected to be freshened in 2019.

Reports earlier this year indicated FCA planned to use Alfa Romeo’s Giorgio platform—which carries the Italian brand’s Giulia midsize sedan and Stelvio crossover vehicle—for a variety of Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep models.

Maserati’s M157 platform carries the Ghibli sedan. It’s a shortened version of the M156 platform used for the marque’s larger Quattroporte luxury sedan.