Remember When Chrysler Was the Engineering Company? Welcome Back!
When it comes to new models the Chrysler Group has little to offer these days, which must leave its dealers feeling rather unhappy. But Chrysler's engineers have been busy and as a result the company had two interesting announcements to make during the last few days. The press release guaranteed to get most attention was about a new car while the other, though less dramatic, concerns an important new V-6 engine. The car is a variation on the fabulous little Fiat 500 that's been on sale in Europe for the past year, however this version is all-electric and will be developed and engineered at Chrysler's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Presently named the Fiat 500EV, it will be driven by an advanced lithium-ion battery, a high power electric powertrain module, and an EV control unit. Manufacturing won't commence until 2012 but in the meantime we'll get the petrol-powered version. As someone who rented Fiat 600s when on vacation in an earlier life and loved them, I can hardly wait.
Meanwhile a new all-aluminum, 60-degree, dual-overhead cam, 3.6 liter V6 engine is to be built in the 822,000-square-foot Trenton facility, which will be able to produce more than 400,000 engines per year. The Pentastar V6 will replace seven current V6 engines. Among the several vehicles getting the engine is the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, where it will produce 280 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm. Chrysler says that the engine will be 11-percent more fuel-efficient than the unit it replaces, and will run on either regular 87-octane gasoline or E85. Nowadays the V6 is the new V-8 (to paraphrase what we say about ageing), with most manufacturers replacing the latter except in extreme performance situations. Expect this new engine to become the mainstay of Chrysler's car fleet and in several of its trucks as well. Now if only the Chrysler design department would give us something to get excited about… !
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