Report: New Alfa Romeo-Derived / U.S. Made Dodge Compact Sedan to Debut at 2012 Detroit Show

A new U.S. market compact sedan to be developed by Fiat and built by Chrysler is set to make its debut appearance at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in the beginning of next year, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The as-of-yet unnamed model will be badged as Dodge and powered by a Fiat-derived 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. It’ll also do 40 mpg combined, or at least it will if Fiat wants to net itself a further 5% of Chrysler from Mr. Monopoly Uncle Sam.

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Detroit’s Cobo Center to Receive $221 Million Facelfit, Gains Extra Space for Motor Show [with Video]

After the worrying news on Detroit’s staggering 25 per cent population decrease in the last decade, we have some good news for the Motor City as the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority announced a US$221 million renovation of the Cobo Conference and Exhibition Center, which as you already know, hosts the annual North American International Auto Show. The Cobo Center was last updated more than twenty years ago in 1989.

Under the three-year plan, the Cobo Center will undergo a dramatic facelift inside and out with the hopes of making it more competitive in the industry.

The center will grow in size with changes including a new three-store atrium and the conversion of the adjacent Cobo Arena sports and concert venue into a 40,000-square-foot ballroom space. A giant high-tech digital video screen on a revamped east exterior side of the facility is also part of the plan.

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