» Get the best price on a new Chrysler Freshly in private hands, Chrysler was almost honour bound to demonstrate its newfound 'free enterprise' vigor at Detroit last week.
And it did just that, not only debuting its new Ram pick-up (more here), but perhaps more importantly in global terms, unveiling an exciting trio of low-emission concepts and an advanced vehicle division that point the way forward for the group's brands in terms of style and substance.
Respectively wearing the Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler nameplates, the Renegade, ZEO and ecoVoyager concepts were highly rated and among the stars of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) -- no small feat for a car company many had written off.
All feature electric powertrains, with two offering alternative onboard 'range extending' technology.
The concepts are the handiwork of the corporation's newest division, ENVI. Formed late in 2007, the new think tank's role is to "establish leadership in electric-drive vehicles and related advanced propulsion technologies" for the Chrysler group.
"The concepts address future challenges such as global warming, energy security and consumers growing desire to lead a greener life," said Executive Vice President -- Product Development, Frank Klegon when introducing the trio.
"And we're envisaging that we'll surprise and delight consumers with the seamless integration of advanced propulsion into our future design portfolio.
"This is the role of ENVI," Klegon explained.
"ENVI will combine the entrepreneurial spirit of a small company with the vast resources of Chrysler to respond quickly for a rapidly changing industry."
Klegon says ENVI will be the force behind Chrysler's next generation vehicles "with technologies that complement our current hybrid plans."
The division is staffed with specialists in engineering, portfolio management, modular architecture, product planning, manufacturing and so on. In fact, all the skills a standalone specialist car brand might recruit.
ENVI's charter is to "raise and extend electric vehicle technology to take plug-in hybrid vehicles to the next level" he detailed.
The vehicle development boss pointed out, however, that it won't only be propulsion technology that ENVI champions. Connectivity will play an increasingly important part in vehicle development, he says.
"We are working aggressively to develop advance wireless communication that will have the potential to go far beyond any systems that are in the marketplace today. Our next generation vehicles will be flexible enough to handle technology such as WiFi, WiMAX and other fourth-generation wireless technologies."
Says Klegon, applications of such technology could include: combining turn-by-turn navigation with satellite imagery to provide more realistic maps; automatic wireless nav updates; real time weather, traffic and hazard control; even vehicle software updates and service reminders and the like.
"All these possibilities we're exploring and you can expect to see them in future Chrysler products," he stated.
THE GREEN MACHINE
Such is the profile of the new advanced division that ENVI boss Lou Rhodes joined Chrysler's Senior Vice President Design, Trevor Creed, to present the concept cars to the assembled media at Detroit.
First on the stage at NAIAS was the Jeep Renegade Concept.
Dubbed "Stylish Green -- sustainable Jeep design" by the company's spin doctors, the Renegade features twin 200kW electric motors (one each to power the front and rear axles) and a BLUETEC-equipped clean diesel engine that powers a generator to recharge the onboard battery bank.
Featuring a design reminiscent of a Meyers Beach Buggy, the Renegade arrives as a sporty "minimized" B-segment (read: small car) two-seater "ideally suited for the all-weather fun of dune-surfing or rock-crawling."
It features "environmentally responsible materials" in its construction and targeted at customers in the "Stylish Green" segment of the marketplace, says Chrysler.
The key to the Renegade's propulsion system is 65km lithium-ion battery pack. This is 'extended' by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder BLUETEC-equipped diesel engine rated at around 85kW to produce a usable range of around 640km.
The company claims a 0-60mp/h (98km/h) acceleration time of 8.5sec and an impressive (outstanding!) standing quarter mile of 13.6sec. Yet Chrysler also says this combination of diesel and electric propulsion yields economy approaching 2.1L/100km!
Chrysler says the dual electric motors propel "a very capable 4x4 system -- complete with low range and locking differentials -- worthy of carrying the Jeep name."
Large high-profile offroad rubber mounted on 20-inch wheels and the slimline high-riding body, give the Renegade approach, departure and rampover angles of which production models can only dream. Indeed, the Renegade's 44-degree approach angle easily betters the current Wrangler Rubicon's 37.8 degrees and the concept's departure and breakover stats (52 v 31.2 and 32 v 24.9) also eclipse the 'real' thing.
Jeep described the Renegade Concept's personality as "one-with-nature". It features signature Jeep trapezoidal wheel openings and an interpretation of the seven slot grille.
The windshield is a cut-down speedster-style affair and the open car gets a rollbar but no top -- soft or hard. Instead, the rear "cargo deck" can be configured to accommodate anything from mountain bikes to kayaks. The show car sported a pair of SCUBA 'scooters'.
The Renegade's composite body is also coloured in-mold to avoid the use of paint solvents.
Interior materials are "environmentally responsible" says Chrysler -- "both in manufacture and end-of-vehicle-life recyclability." For instance, the seat and doors are fashioned via a "one-piece molded soy-based" material.
Says Chrysler, the dual-cockpit instrument panel is "symmetrically balanced for easy 'plug and play' left-hand drive and right-hand drive applications."
Onboard electronics are sealed, self-contained wireless units. Indeed, the Renegade's wireless interior is designed to be hosed down -- hence the wetsuit-like seat material. There's even a floor drain and floor mats designed to channel water to the opening.
To view Jeep Renegade specifications and pics click here
NO DODGY CONNECTIONS
Dodge's sporty ZEO was next advanced cab off the Chrysler rank. The only pure electric car of the trio, it therefore sports the most elaborate battery technology to yield a one-charge range of around 400km.
ZEO stands for Zero Emissions Operation. Powering ZEO is a 64 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack coupled to a single 200kW electric motor. The motor drives the rear wheels only -- as is the case in all good sportscars!
A two-plus-two, three-door sportswagon, the ZEO is claimed to deliver a hot hatch rivalling 0-60mph time of 5.7sec and an even more impressive quarter mile dash of 11sec -- that's Nissan GT-R territory!
There's no missing the Dodge styling cues in the ZEO -- in particular the trademark crosshair grille -- but overall this muscular three-door is about as far removed from the Ram truck as you can imagine. It even gets Lamborghini-style 'scissor' doors. In fact, perhaps a world first, rear scissor suicide doors!
Chrysler says simply, the ZEO "embraces the bold, emotional characteristic of the Dodge brand."
"With its 23-inch wheels-to-the corners, heroic proportions and muscular forms, the ZEO exhibits a new youthful breed of muscle-machine interface," the company says.
The ZEO addresses Dodge buyers "need for speed" it says, and in the words of the design team breaks "the paradigm of what an electric car should look like."
The interior is highly stylised, with the centre console looking all the world like a giant mobile phone. A Nokia, if we're not mistaken…
To view Dodge ZEO specifications and pics click here
VOYAGER DISCOVERY
The last of the trio to meet the spotlights at Detroit was the ecoVoyager. Wearing the premium badges of the parent brand, Chrysler, the one-box vehicle was also underpinned by the in vogue powertrain of the moment -- a hydrogen fuel cell extended electric system.
Design boss Creed claimed the ecoVoyager gives a strong indication of the brand's design language going forward. Though don't expect too many one-box large cars in a hurry -- the US market is an inveterate lover of conventional sedans.
Described as a vehicle that "celebrates the romance of automobile travel embodied in a four-door, four-passenger, distinctively American automobile of spirited design", it heralds what the company describes as a new direction of "elegant simplicity".
Again featuring a single 200kW electric motor, this time driving the front wheels and sandwich (A-Class-like) under the floor along with the fuel cell infrastructure, the ecoVoyager enjoys an almost cartoon-car-like short front overhang for the ultimate 'cab-forward' stance.
Essentially, thanks to the powertrain packaging, the full length of the vehicle is available to accommodate occupants and or luggage space. Amenity and access are maximized thanks to the absence of a B-pillar and the use of rear 'suicide' doors.
While it may not be instantly attractive to many, there's little doubt the ecoVoyager was one of the standouts at Detroit.
Chrysler claims the concept was developed for customers wanting a travel experience on par with a private jet "but without a lot of fancy gadgetry".
"These customers seek three critical attributes: elegance, simplicity and serenity," the company opines.
Performance is comparable with executive vehicles of a similar size with Chrysler claiming a 0-60mph time of "less than eight seconds".
In addition to the fuel cell, regenerative braking captures energy that would normally be lost. Combined, the Chrysler ecoVoyager's total range is greater than 480km miles with zero exhaust emissions save for water vapor.
To view Chrysler ecoVoyager specifications and pics click here
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME
The one question concepts always generate is will they ever make it to the street -- especially so in the case of a company like Chrysler which has a strong history of building its concepts… Its musclecar concepts at least -- think Viper, Prowler and most recently Challenger.
Says product boss Klegon of the Detroit trio: "Well, you never know. At this point they're purely concepts. We're very, very interested in the reactions from all of you [showgoers and media] and consumers. But I will tell you this, without question we are pursuing more of these technologies and you're going to 'see' these concepts in future production vehicles."
Rhodes points to the thought processes behind the concepts rather than the actuality of the trio as being the salient point.
"These concepts are a great example of why a holistic approach is required to take full advantage of emerging technologies. Vehicle architecture, packaging and design and propulsion cannot be decoupled. Chrysler's concept vehicles represent a marriage of all these elements."
And says design chief Creed: "Since the entire automotive industry has basically the same technology pool from which to draw, our design challenge remains the same -- how do we distinguish Chrysler's future designs from the rest of the pack. The answer won't change -- it will still be to create emotional designs and offer vehicles that people will be proud to own and drive.
"The three [Detroit concept] vehicles not only showcase the efficient technologies we're exploring but offer a glimpse of where our brands are going in terms of styling and customer focus."
That being the case, it seems the brand that brought bling to the mass market via the 300C seems set to continue to its tradition of producing polarizing, rather than me-too, cars…
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