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Filed under: Car Buying , Hybrids/Alternative , SUVs , Green , Chrysler , Dodge Click above for high-res gallery of Chrysler's hybrid SUVs Apparently hoping to avoid the ignominious fate of the full-size hybrid SUVs from two-mode hybrid partner General Motors, Chrysler is getting aggressive with the pricing of its new Durango and Aspen hybrids. At launch this fall, the Chryslers will be stickered at 45,340 and $45,570 respectively, some $8,000 below the four-wheel-drive versions from GM. GM recently had to slap $4,000 cash on the hood to entice customers to check out the Tahoe Hybrid and Yukon Hybrid. Unlike GM, however, Chrysler has chosen not to offer a two-wheel-drive variant of its hybrid SUVs. At this point we still don't know how equipment levels will compare between the GM and Chrysler models, so it's hard to do a direct comparison of these high-mpg hybrid SUVs. The last time we talked to Chrysler about the hybrids, they were not planning to implement any of the weight...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Government/Legal , Green , Chrysler , Ford , GM , Earnings/Financials Click above for more shots of the Ford Escape PHEV In what seems like a convenient answer to Mark Fields' request just yesterday for government assistance for the development of plug-in hybrids, the Department of Energy has just announced that it will be granting up to $30 million for just this type of vehicle. Not that thirty-mill is a small sum or anything, but that amount of money will be spread rather thin, being divided across three separate projects from three different manufacturers. Ford is one of them, while General Motors will receive funding for battery development and Chrysler, in partnership with General Electric, will also get some love. The end-goal of this funding is a plug-in hybrid vehicle that is capable of traveling 40 miles on electric power alone. The DOE hopes that these specifications can be cost-effective by the year 2014 with vehicles on the road around...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , SUVs , Green , Plants/Manufacturing , Chrysler Last month, a major announcement was made regarding an effort between Nissan and Chrysler to share products. Specifically, Nissan will build a small car for Chrysler and receive a large truck in return. It seems as if the Pentastar brand could use some more help when it comes to offering the types of vehicles that the public wants as quickly as possible. To that end, Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli says, "If we can have similar arrangements ... and it makes financial sense and supports our dealer network relative to what customers are telling them they want, we're going to go do it." What customers want is fuel efficient vehicles, something which Chrysler is not exactly well positioned with at the moment. In related news, Nardelli also mentions that Chrysler sees hybrids and electric cars as the most viable options moving forward to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. The first hybrid vehicles from...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Green , Chrysler , Suzuki We knew critics of Chrysler's $2.99 Gas Guarantee would crawl out of the woodwork before too long, and here they come. Automotive News reports that The Union of Concerned Scientists has called Chrysler's program a "cynical deal", noting that at today's current average price of $3.61/gallon, a customer would save about $400 a year under Chrysler's program. Being the smart folk they are, the scientists also pointed out that customers could save the same amount from a 3 mpg bump in fuel economy over 15,000 miles or a year of driving, and that better fuel economy also continues saving the customer money after three years. Damn, scientists are so smart with the math. The criticism hasn't stopped Suzuki, however, from announcing its own free gas deal. For vehicles purchased between May 1st and June 30th, Suzuki is offering 0% financing and three months of totally free fuel in its "Free Gas for Summer"...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chrysler , Dodge , Jeep Chrysler president Jim Press saw what hybrid technology did for Toyota, and now the 37-year auto industry vet wants to repeat that success with the Pentastar brands. Press informed attendees at a seminar in New York recently that Chrysler would one day utilize hybrid power in each and every Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep. Of course, the charismatic exec had no timetable for Chrysler's full immersion into the land of hybrid hyperbole, but we would guess that kindergarteners may be ready for college by the time this happens. Before Press finished, he also mentioned an intention to sell as many Chryslers in other markets as the Auburn Hills-based company sells in the States. While it's easy to kick Chrysler when it's down, the privately-owned company has to aim high or it won't have much of a chance. From the day Press entered Chrysler's hallowed halls, he's had a consistent message that the company would...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Euro , Green , Chrysler Click above for more images of the Chrysler 300C SRT diesel When we heard word of a diesel-powered Chrysler 300C SRT, visions of overdosing our right foot on torque were instantly conjured. While the Pentastar has unveiled such a car in Europe, it's not exactly what you think. Basically a trim package for the 300C in Europe, the SRT model gets visual enhancements to its buttocks including new rear taillight clusters and a deck lid spoiler, but the car still uses the same 3.0L V6 diesel producing 218 bhp and 376 pound feet of torque you can get in other models. As Top Gear put it, "we were hoping for something a bit meatier". While the wheels appear to be the same butch 10-spokers as our own 300C SRT8, the front fascia lacks the deeper chin spoiler and the grille is Chrysler's Euro-spec Bentley-like tight mesh. One Autoblogger described the diesel 300C SRT as Chrysler of Europe's version of an Impala SS, i.e. long...
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Filed under: Green , Chrysler , India One way or another, we're going to see a Tata vehicle here in the United States. Whether or not it's through the Jaguar/Land Rover brands or something actually wearing the Tata nameplate, India's top vehicle builder is moving aggressively to become a world player. To that end, Tata Motors has entered into a new deal with Chrysler, LLC to develop an electric version of Tata's Ace mini truck for sale in North America. Chrysler's Global Electric Motorcars division (GEM) is working with Tata to import fully-assembled vehicles that meet all the appropriate U.S. regulations. The battery-operated Ace has successfully navigated the required safety tests, and they're reportedly ready for production. Tata wants to eventually export up to 50,000 vehicles to the US, but they've pegged the goal for 2008 at 10,000 units. This is definitely the year to keep an eye on Tata. [Source: Reuters] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , SUVs , Green , Chrysler , Dodge , Jeep Click image for a hi-res gallery of Chrysler's concepts We're back from the Chrysler press conference that saw the Detroit Auto Show debuts of the Jeep Renegade , Dodge ZEO , and Chrysler ecoVoyager . As we have mentioned already, each is born out of the automaker's ENVI program, the focus of which is on new, environmentally-friendly electric propulsion. As such, all the concepts share the same 200 kw (268 hp equivalent) electric motor powered by a currently nonexistent lithium-ion battery pack and augmented by a secondary "range-extender" in the Renegade and ecoVoyager. That includes a vaporware fuel-cell in the latter. It's all okay, though, because as Chrysler's Frank Klegon pointed out, these are "pure concepts." He then went on to say that these "pure concepts" would be seen "in future production vehicles...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Green , Chrysler click above for more high-res images of the Chrysler ecoVoyager Concept One of three Pentastar concepts powered by some combination of cutting-edge technology, the Chrysler ecoVoyager continues the automaker's fascination with art-deco by resurrecting the Stout Scarab . Doing away with a conventional powertrain and installing a 45kW fuel cell allows the 268-horsepower electric motor to spin the wheels for 300 miles before refueling. The Li-Ion batteries give the concept a theoretical range of 40 miles before the fuel cell is called upon, and regenerative braking recovers some energy for the batteries, too. The skateboard nature of the chassis and power systems allows for a very roomy cabin and low center of gravity, which aids handling. Weighing in at a modest 2,750 pounds, the ecoVoyager doesn't have a problem performing like the cars we know and love, either. 0-60 is dispatched in 8.8 seconds, and Chrysler's...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chrysler , Dodge click above for more high-res pics of the Dodge Zeo concept Chrysler is out to convince folks of its green cred here in Detroit, so it's offering up the Dodge Zeo to the fuel- and emissions-conscious masses. The 2+2 coupe features 64kWh of electric energy that's sent to the rear wheels via a 268-hp motor. Dodge claims that the 2,650-pound Zeo can amble along for 250 miles before it's due for a recharge, although we'd suspect that turning the massive 23-inch wheels might take a bite out of the Zeo's long-range cruising capabilities. The actual mechanicals are also, most likely, a figment of some product planner's imagination at the moment. The design is typical concept car flare, with wheels pushed to the edges of the body and a steeply raked windshield that carries all the way to the rear of the vehicle, terminating in a tapered hatch that's accentuated by massive fender...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Hybrids/Alternative , SUVs , Green , Chrysler , Jeep Click image for high-res gallery Chrysler is showing three concepts that leverage the automaker's ENVI electric vehicle tech tech today in Detroit. The Chrysler ccoVoyager and Dodge ZEO concepts will be covered in separate posts, but they share their main electric drivetrains with Jeep's open-air concept. At the center of ENVI is a 200 kW (268 hp) electric motor with a 40 mile range that's powered by lithium ion batteries. The Renegade concept uses a pair of these -- one on each axle to create a proper 4X4 -- and adds a low gear mode, locking differentials, and a Bluetec diesel "range-extender" engine that gives it the equivalent of 110 mpg when combined with the electric motors. We see a little of the 1998 Jeepster Concept in the Renegade's front end, but beyond that, the little two-seater goes its own way, putting a modern spin on the Wrangler ethos that incorporates...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Government/Legal , Green , Chrysler , Ford , GM , Toyota If you found it slightly strange that automakers went from being ardently opposed to any new EPA legislation to 100-percent behind the new proposal, you're not alone. Now the picture appears clearer, as the EPA has deemed any new CARB legislation an unnecessary evil. The significance of the new ruling is so far-reaching that the OEM savings can be heard all across our great land. In short, it means that California and the 17 other states vying for independent CO2 regulations are completely helpless in enforcing automakers to be held to a separate standard. Of course California is now threatening to sue the EPA, which will provide interesting headlines but likely no alternative outcome. While we will never know if automakers were tipped by the EPA of this eventuality, we can definitely say that every exec in the auto industry is today dancing the jig over this news. Besides, we've been keeping...
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Filed under: Green , Chrysler , Earnings/Financials Detroit's sharp intake of breath over the very real possibility of increased federal fuel economy standards apparently doesn't include Chrysler's voice. CEO Robert Nardelli has told The Car Connection that rather than waste lots of time and energy opposing the likely increase to a 35 mpg fleet average, Chrysler will put its head down and get it done. Attaining the goal will not be without pain, however. Cuts will be made, and the books are still in the red. There is hope, though, if Chrysler and parent Cerberus Capital can stick it out. A new contract with the UAW eases some of the automaker's financial burden, allowing that money to be plowed into development of more fuel efficient vehicles. There's a new two-mode hybrid system, co-developed with Daimler, GM, and BMW, which should help lift the fleet average without Chrysler abandoning their bread and butter moneymakers. With a lineup heavy in less-frugal vehicles...
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Filed under: Etc. , Green , Chrysler Chrysler's Frank Klegon says that we should expect to see the incorporation of stop/start systems in a number of vehicles "pretty soon", according to Automotive News . They'd be marketed as "micro hybrid" systems (showing that automakers will jump at absolutely anything to be able to apply the term "hybrid" to a product). The so-called micro hybrids simply kill the engine when the car's stopped, and according to Chrysler, this can net drivers a 5% gain in fuel economy without their having to do anything. (Except spend some money. Cost per vehicle would be "several hundred dollars.") Klegon also notes that more mild hybrid systems and additional 2-Mode implementations are in the works, as well. What say you good readers? Would you pay $300 for a 5% gain in fuel economy? [Source: Automotive News - sub req'd] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Green , Tech , Chrysler , Dodge , Jeep Cerberus has opened up the corporate wallet, and Chrysler is spending the cash to infuse their lineup with alternative powertrains. New Chrysler product boss Jim Press told the Detroit News that diesels...
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