Daily Auto News Chrysler Developing Three Electric Vehicles
Daily Auto News
Jeep Renegade Concep.
Chrysler is the most secretive of the Big Three American automakers. Ford and GM are publicly traded, and constantly releasing tidbits of information about their future plans in order to feed nervous shareholders. Chrysler, however, is privately held, and not as open with the press about its future vehicles. It has suffered the largest sales drop of any major automaker in 2008, and until recently, it seemed to be doing little to develop more fuel-efficient cars to meet the market’s new demands.
Automobile Magazine reports, however, that “Chrysler will soon show dealers not one but three electric vehicles that it could produce.” Chrysler President Jim Press told reporters that the company “hybrids with a total range of 300-miles” — about the same as what GM claims the Chevy Volt will achieve.
The Los Angeles Times says that Press told reporters, “The vehicles, being developed by Chrysler’s new Envi unit — which also is developing pure electric vehicles — are capable of reaching 60 mph in less than four seconds.”
Chrysler EcoVoyager Concept
What the three cars may look like is a mystery. Chrysler revealed three concepts at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show that the company said could support hybrid or electric powertrains. They included the sporty, low-slung Dodge Zeo, the Chrysler EcoVoyager crossover, and a roofless Wrangler-like off-roader calls the Jeep Renegade. But we don’t know whether those have been developed into working prototypes.
Though Press “offered no release date for such vehicles,” the Times writes, “having production ready plug-ins is a huge step forward for Chrysler.” The company, which has focused on a tough off-road image for its Jeep brand and a V8-powered performance image for its Dodge brand, has been seen as ill-equipped for the shift toward fuel-efficient small cars and teetering on the edge of collapse due to poor sales.
Business Week notes that “Chrysler also is working to develop hybrid and diesel versions of its top-selling Dodge Ram truck. It has also invested more than $3 billion in investing in new powertrains, including a fuel-saving engine called the Phoenix that it expects to arrive in the 2010 model year.”
Dodge Zeo Concept
While telling reporters about the company’s electric plans, however, Chrysler’s Press couldn’t resist taking a dig at the competition. HybridCars.com reports, “When challenged as to whether a Chrysler plug-in hybrid could beat GM’s much-publicized Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid to market, Press deferred with a joke, saying, ‘GM’s been selling the Volt for about five years.’ He added that Chrysler ‘didn’t have the money for PR stunts,’ but was focused on getting its new products to market.”
Related with this news Japan Auto Store's other car news
