The latest news from Chrysler has us a bit worried. It has been announced that the 2012 replacement for the Caliber will be based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Why this would be a problem might not be immediately obvious. Alfas are wonderful cars to drive, they truly are. I will avoid going into detail on this subject, as I lack the willpower to avoid such cliched words as "passion". Trust me though, they're magnificent.

The worry, therefore, is that some of this passion (damn, almost made it) will be lost when the Alfa puts on the Dodge badge. It's painful to imagine some chunky Dodge skin in place of the Alfa's achingly good-looking bodywork. To quote the same source material used for Alfa Romeo's "I Am Giulietta" ad campaign (which is itself hardly short on good looks) "good wombs have borne bad sons".