GM’s drop and a fall at Chrysler LLC could drag the U.S. industry to its eighth monthly decline this year. Record-high November gasoline prices, the subprime lending crisis and the steepest plunge in home values in two decades have left U.S. consumers as pessimistic as they’ve been since Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast 27 months ago.
Chrysler has provided an advance preview of its three concept cars for the Detroit show, about seven weeks in advance of the preview days when they’ll be formally revealed to the press. But we can understand why they’re quick on the trigger; if these concepts are any indication, the automaker, which has long been resistant to change and slow to adopt hybrids, isn’t going to make the same mistake with electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-ins (PHEVs).
Seating four in comfort, the ecoVoyager is powered by a new technology which has the environment at its heart. A hydrogen fuel cell generates electricity for the battery pack and 200 kW electric motor, which according to Chrysler will exclusively drive the vehicle for in excess of 300 miles. Powertrain components are stored underfloor. However, performance will not be sluggish, a 0-60 mph time of less than 8 seconds being expected.
With Chrysler now under private ownership, it is more likely to make quick, unemotional decisions to return to profit after a $680 million loss in 2006, Mr. Wolkonowicz said. Cerberus invested $7.4 billion in Chrysler, which posted a 3.5 percent drop in U.S. sales through Oct. 31.
The Chrysler ecoVoyager concept sedan features a hydrogen fuel cell and lithium-ion batteries clothed in an arcing body that lacks the clearly defined horizontal hood and trunk of traditional sedans. Chrysler says the battery pack and fuel cell would provide a 300-mile cruising range. The ecoVoyager is about 1.6 inches longer than Chrysler s Sebring midsize sedan.
Taken together the two moves cost over 1,000 jobs for the Canadian auto union, which heads into contract negotiations with Chrysler, Ford Motor Co. (F.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) and General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) next summer.
November 18 2007: 10:06 PM EST 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Chrysler plans to stop production of the PT Cruiser, according to the Wall Street Journal . The paper reported Friday that the automaker will drop the line after the 2009 model year. The move comes as Chrysler executives consider killing slower-selling models to help the company return to profitability. Chrysler had said earlier this month that it would eliminate the PT Cruiser convertible .
I consider these to be styling excercises and nothing more. If Chrysler manages to survive another 5 years under Cerberus, I’d venture the ecoVoyager might portend the next 300, the ZEO will be a spin off of the Mitsubishi Eclipse, and the Jeep will never see the light of day. Jeep Concepts seem to have the worst track record of all. The Dakar was a home run concept and we’re just getting a 4-door wrangler now.
“He’s not saying we want to be at 20 tomorrow or next year. He’s saying an ideal. When looking at three brands like this, it makes some sense to get to that point, and we are moving in that direction,” said Chrysler spokesman Mike Aberlich.
The arrival of the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen hybrids at the Los Angeles auto show marks the second and third applications of the hybrid drivetrain jointly developed by General Motors and the then-DaimlerChrysler. We’ve already driven this hybrid system in the Chevy Tahoe and found it seamlessly smooth and plenty powerful. That two-mode hybrid system is carried over into these Chrysler SUVs and promises to be just as good.