While the flurry of presentations don't carry a lot of weight anymore as models listed often don't appear or arrive in the showrooms years late, the latest presentation does however offer some useful insights and hints towards the future across the Fiat Group Automobiles brands, and now the Chrysler Group. It also shows however that, if the gaggle of rebadged Chrysler Group models coming to Europe with Fiat and Lancia badges are stripped out, the upcoming Fiat Group Automobiles new product portfolio still remains very threadbare.

The presentation finally confirms that Alfa Romeo’s crucial replacement for the 159, the Giulia sedan and estate, are pushed back a year to 2013, meaning the brand’s current D-segment contender will have been on the market for some eight years by the time it is finally replaced. For sometime Fiat's management has been publically denying that the new model will fall back from 2012. The length of time until it is proposed to arrive - in two years time, if this latest presentation date proves to be accurate - also puts paid to the spin that Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne was unhappy with the design (although in reality it is focus groups that have a greater sway) as the project still languishes on the backburner.

This pair, the Giulia and its estate spin-off, form a crucial part of the brand’s North American plans, and indeed, will be built in Chrysler’s plant in Belvedere, Illinois, alongside their platform stablemates, the next-generation Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger. The Giulias are described in the presentation as “competitive products combining comfort, versatility and driving pleasure.”

But for the moment, Alfa Romeo dealers will need to soldier on for some time yet with no new product ammunition, as the much-awaited 4C sportscar – although slated to debut in 2012 and earmarked to lead the brand’s by-now mythical US relaunch – will hit the market in December of that year at the earliest, if it gets the sign-off. The Milanese brand’s new C-SUV, also earmarked for next year and described as “a perfect combination of SUV segment versatility and Alfa Romeo dynamism”, is likewise expected to debut in the second half of the year. It, too, is set to be commercialised in North America. A facelift for the MiTo during this period should also help maintain interest in the sporty supermini.

However, if 2012 is somewhat low-key, 2013 is set to prove fruitful for Alfa Romeo, as alongside the new Giulia, the presentation confirms the company’s plans for a new Spider, as well as a five-door version of the facelifted MiTo (also set for NAFTA distribution). The presentation rounds out the plans for Fiat’s sporty brand by proposing a facelift for the Giulietta in 2014, as well as the launch of another, larger, SUV – based on the Mercedes-derived underpinnings of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. These last two debuts will also help round out Alfa Romeo’s US launch schedule, if the green light is finally given.

Fiat is a brand desperately in need of new product to reverse sliding market share throughout Europe, but the presentation contains mixed news. It confirms the next-generation Panda will debut later this year (at the Frankfurt IAA), as well as a facelift for the compact Linea sedan. Next year, in particular, is set to be busy, with the debut of regular (five-seat) and long-wheelbase (seven-seat) versions of the Idea mini-MPV replacement, dubbed ‘Ellezero’, as well as two cars which will be shared with Dodge in North America – a compact C-segment sedan, and an ‘entry-level’ B-segment supermini to slot in below the Punto. The 500 and 500C will also receive a facelift at this time, as will their Abarth equivalents.

It is only in 2013, however, that Fiat will get around to addressing two of its biggest product problems – plunging sales for the current Punto and Bravo, which are both set to soldier on for another two years. (Abarth will receive a version of the new Punto, its sole all-new product as laid down by the presentation.) However with both models pencilled in for the same year, it is very likely the next generation Bravo will be pushed back. Beyond this, Fiat’s launch schedule is rounded out with facelifts for the Qubo in 2013, and for the Panda, Doblò and Freemont in 2014.

The presentation also confirms Fiat’s rollout schedule in the US over the next few years. With the 500 and 500C already on sale, 2012 will see the debut of the 500 Abarth (featuring a turbocharged version of the basic 500’s 1.4 MultiAir engine), as well as the five-passenger version of the Ellezero. These will be followed in 2013 by the next-generation Bravo, which will take the form of a crossover – a decision spurred at least in part with an eye towards North American sales.

The future launch schedule for mainstream American brand Dodge is amongst the most interesting listed in the presentation. Having renewed much of its lineup for 2011 (led by a new Charger sedan and Durango SUV, as well as significant refreshes for the Avenger, Journey and Grand Caravan), the brand is set for a quiet remainder of the current calendar year. New product launches will continue next year, however, with a new C-segment sedan – shared with Fiat in Europe and based on the C-Evo Wide platform – to replace the woeful Caliber, as well as a new Viper, based on Maserati’s M139 architecture. In 2013, meanwhile, the rapidly-ageing Avenger will be supplanted by a new model, alongside a brand-new, Dodge-branded version of Fiat’s ‘entry-level B’ supermini. This will provide the brand with a low-cost rival to the Toyota Yaris and Ford Fiesta. These two launches will be accompanied by refreshes for the Journey MPV and Challenger coupe. The Dodge plan is rounded out in 2014 by the replacement for the current Grand Caravan.

The plans for the Lancia-Chrysler alliance are amongst the most difficult to accurately decipher. For the US market, Chrysler has a Fiat-based model scheduled for 2012, but this implies the C-segment sedan noted in last year’s five-year outlook – a model which brand CEO Olivier François recently noted in an interview was cancelled. A replacement for the Chrysler Town & Country minivan is slated for 2014, but prior to this, there are two models based on Fiat architecture scheduled for 2013, along with a facelift. At least one of these models is the replacement for the 200 sedan, but it cannot be determined for certain whether the second new model is a replacement for the 200 Convertible, or the previously-projected D-crossover. For Lancia, meanwhile, following this year’s flurry of activity, next year is set to see the market debuts of the Flavia sedan and convertible, although with this model’s replacement set to land in Europe in 2013, there remains doubt over the likelihood of these launches actually occurring. The underperforming Delta will also be replaced in 2013, while the brand’s repositioning is completed by the replacement for the Voyager in 2014, as well as a facelift for the Ypsilon. The successful Musa will not be replaced.

After a hectic schedule in 2010, debuting the all-new Grand Cherokee and facelifting its other models, Jeep will debut a refresh for the evergreen Wrangler, with the off-roader’s ancient 3.8-litre V6 finally replaced with the modern 3.6 Pentastar V6 later this year. Next year will see a facelift for the ageing mid-size Liberty SUV to tide it over until its replacement in 2013, but more importantly, the launch of a single replacement for the compact Compass and Patriot, based on the versatile C-Evo Wide architecture and built at the Mirafiori plant in Turin. Finally, as well as the new Liberty, 2013 will see a new B-segment SUV, produced for Jeep by Fiat.

After launching the new-generation 1500 series ‘light duty’ pickup in 2009, and the ‘heavy duty’ pickups following last year, the Ram brand has nothing to present for the remainder of 2011 – the mid-size Dakota pickup runs out to retirement this year with no replacement in the pipeline. However, next year will see Fiat’s latest Doblò van adapted for North America under the Ram nameplate, as well as a full-size van based on Fiat underpinnings to replace the Mercedes-derived Sprinter. The entire range of pickups will also receive a facelift at this time.

In Europe, meanwhile, Fiat Professional has a busy schedule over the remainder of 2011. The new Panda Van will debut later this year, as will a ‘Dropside’ version of the new Doblò and a refresh of the compact Strada pickup. The brand’s schedule is muted for 2012, with no new arrivals, but 2013 will see a van version of the all-new Punto, as well as a facelift for the compact Fiorino van. Finally, in 2014, the large Ducato van will also receive a facelift, along with the major news for that year, a new 1-ton pickup produced by Chrysler – a version of the Ram 3500 chassis cab.