The HF initials have lain dormant for over a decade, last used on the Mk2 Delta HF in 1999. However, with the merger of the Chrysler and Lancia brands now in full swing, Fiat management see an opportunity to extend the market reach of the alliance, by appealing to younger buyers and reducing the average age of the brands’ customers.

The resumption of the HF badge parallels a similar effort in North America being undertaken by the Chrysler brand, which has recently displayed its plans for an ‘S’ sub-brand. With the average age of the Chrysler buyer currently 62 years old, according to Automotive News, the intention is to connect with buyers who would otherwise never consider a Chrysler product.  Customer clinics have apparently revealed a strong desire for customisation options across Chrysler’s flagship 300 series, and to that end, the brand is rolling out a raft of options to accompany the newly-updated model’s arrival in the showrooms. The new customisation options include a range of radiator grille inserts such as the famous ‘egg crate’ finish.

As recently displayed on a range of  ‘S’ showcars at a media preview in San Diego, the changes usefully reduce the overall staidness of Chrysler’s current designs while employing only minimal changes. The interiors feature wider use of carbonfibre-effect trims and brighter fabrics, while on the exterior, much of the chrome trimmings that appeal to older buyers are blacked-out. The effect helps the 300 in particular recapture something of the ‘gangster’ look which helped that car become an initial hit, but which was toned down on the newly-redesigned model, in an effort to pitch it as more of an upmarket luxury car.

The Chrysler ‘S’ makeover will only be a cosmetic upgrade, with the respective models’ performance and dynamic characteristics remaining untouched. By focusing on aesthetic changes at the expense of more meaningful dynamic modifications, Chrysler will also maintain a degree of differentiation from the Dodge brand, which tries to target more sports-orientated consumers.

How all of this plays out for Lancia is, as yet, not wholly clear. With most of Chrysler’s ‘S’ components being drawn straight from the Mopar accessory catalogue, it is expected this will also provide the basis for the new HF trim. Usually well informed Quattroruote magazine's recent photoshop of a ‘Flavia HF’ draws on the look of the Mopar-tweaked 200 ‘Super S’ exhibited at the North American International Auto Show last month, employing the same mesh grille and front bumper to create a more aggressive look.

Quattroruote say the debut of the Flavia HF – designed to create some ‘excitement’ around the brand and the car, given its unremarkable origins and the fact it is still a year away from its market launch – is only the first step in the application of the famous initials to the remainder of the range. In due course, the letters will be applied to a ‘warm’ version of the new Ypsilon, employing FPT’s 135bhp 1.4 MultiAir turbo, as well as a variant of the Delta 1.8 TurboJet wearing sporty trim, and the all-wheel drive version of Chrysler’s V8 300C, which will be sold as the ‘Thema HF integrale’.