Chrysler town and country

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).

With each of these, Chrysler aims to pair excitement with environmental friendliness for each of the concepts, which are primarily powered by an electric motor system and advanced, yet-to-be-developed lithium-ion battery pack. They all appear to achieve this duality, but that’s about where the similarities end.

Looking at details for each of the particular concepts, they span a wide range in terms of size, design intent - and mechanically, each uses a different approach toward what Chrysler calls a “range extender” for the powertrain. In the case of the Chrysler ecoVoyager concept, that range extender is a small hydrogen fuel cell, allowing a total range of more than 300 miles.

The mid-size ecoVoyager is a sleek, rounded one-box design - looking like a low-slung crossover vehicle - that’s said to celebrate “the romance of automobile travel embodied in a four-door, four-passenger distinctively American design,” with elegance, simplicity, and serenity as priorities. Without the powertrain occupying its traditional place in front, the Chrysler promises to be extremely roomy inside and “really make the most of cab forward once again,” according to design chief Trevor Creed.