Chrysler

Chrysler showed an interesting concept without much fanfare at Detroit's NAIAS this week. The 700C is being evaluated by Chrysler as the design direction for the next generation minivan. It's a bold effort to give some style to the boxy people mover market and public opinion will now decide if the angled B-pillar and huge wheels will see production. Read More

Though claims by Dodge that its new Dart is a "revolutionary" car fall somewhere between delusional gibberish and being purposefully misleading, the Dart is almost certain to be a sales success in the American compact sedan marketplace. The replacement for the Dodge Caliber is basically a reworked Alfa Romeo Giulietta and has been created specifically as an American-made Chrysler based on a Fiat platform returning better than 40 mpg. At US$16,000, the Dart is economical, sporty and very price-competitive. Read More

Chrysler has launched its new 300 Luxury Series with what it has dubbed “the most luxurious and fuel-efficient Chrysler flagship ever.” Coupling a ZF 8HP45 eight-speed automatic transmission to a 292 horsepower, 3.6-liter aluminum Pentastar V6 engine, the 2012 Chrysler 300 Luxury Series sedan gets 31 mpg (7.5 l/100 km) on the highway and 19 mpg (12.4 l/100 km) in the city, for a combined fuel economy figure of 23 mpg (10 l/100 km). Read More

Fiat’s new TwinAir engine has scooped the 2011 International Engine of the Year competition, winning the major gong for engine of the year, plus three other awards including the Best New Engine 2011, Best Green Engine 2011 and Best Engine of less than 1,000 cc. The twin cylinder 875 cc engine is currently only available in a turbocharged 85 bhp configuration in the Fiat 500 and will soon also be available in the Chrysler Ypsilon, but non-turbo 65 bhp, turbo 105 bhp and 80 bhp turbo bi-fuel versions are all due this year. The TwinAir’s most distinguishing technological feature is the electro-hydraulic valve control, and a balancing countershaft to reduce vibration. Interestingly, nine of the twelve awards went to turbocharged engines. Read More

Chrysler caught everyone off guard this week when it announced a partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to design and develop an experimental hydraulic hybrid powertrain suitable for use in large passenger cars and light-duty vehicles. The aim is to have a running demonstration vehicle based on the current minivan sometime during 2012. EPA has been involved in trials with Eaton Corporation of the company’s hydraulic hybrid technology for trucks. Read More

The new Chrysler 300 made its world debut at the Detroit Auto Show this week. The American auto giant's new flagship sedan features a more aerodynamic profile, distinctive LED-illuminated running lamps, a dual-pane panoramic sunroof, luxurious interior and massive 8.4-inch Touch infotainment center. Read More

North American readers over a certain age may recall a time when Fiats were available at local auto dealers. Even though some people joked about their reliability at the time (“What does FIAT stand for? Fix It Again, Tony!”), the chic, zippy little Italian cars definitely had their admirers. Unfortunately, after the 1970’s oil crisis subsided, small cars weren’t so popular anymore, and what market remained was heavily dominated by Japanese automakers. Thus it was that in 1984, Fiat decided to stop selling cars in North America. Flash-forward to fuel-conscious 2010, and Fiat is now the sixth-largest car company in the world, and owner of the US-based Chrysler Group. This week, it was announced that separate and distinct Fiat dealerships will be selling the company's compact 500 model in the United States. Read More

Chrysler Group LLC and NASA have announced a three year alliance that will see the companies swapping notes on cutting edge technologies such as materials engineering and robotics. Read More

A couple of months ago, as part of our coverage of the 2010 Detroit International Motor Show, we showed you an all-electric version of the venerable Fiat 500 that was on display at the event. At that time, Fiat said that the electric 500 was a technology test bed for future models, but was staying tight-lipped about any other details. This Monday, Fiat-owned Chrysler Group announced that it will be producing the 500EV for the US market, starting in 2012. Read More