Chrysler's green message

Chrysler has promised three eco-friendly new concept cars for the first big motoring event of next year and likewise, Mitsubishi has also announced a fuel-efficient diesel concept car.

Chrysler will open with a Dodge Zeo sports car, then roll through the family-focused ecoVoyager to the off-road Jeep Renegade.

The cars are only sketches for now as finetuning continues. Detroit will be the first big event since the American company's divorce from Daimler-Benz, after an unsuccessful takeover that was always billed; badly; as a merger of equals.

“It's a very important show. It's our coming-out party for the new Chrysler,” Chrysler Group Australia managing director Gerry Jenkins says. “Detroit is always big for us. It's where we really showcase all our products. It's our home base. Quite honestly, it kicks off the year too, so it has a big motivational angle for us."

“We put our best foot forward.”

DaimlerChrysler has already split in Australia.

Jenkins says Chrysler wants to push its green message in Detroit. “We are definitely going green. That is part of our core strategy going forward. No doubt about that,” he says.

The Zeo concept is aimed directly at Gen-Y buyers and Chrysler describes it as a 2+2 sports wagon. It also says that, unlike most sports coupes, the baby Dodge is seriously intended for four-passenger use.

But the real news is an electric drive system that promises a range up to 400km using a special lithium-ion battery pack. It has been designed for easy plug-in use.

The ecoVoyager shares its name with the company's top-selling people mover and has a boxy minivan body but is more smoothly shaped. As with the Zeo, it has a lithium-ion battery pack. But the ecoVoyager should run for close to 500km between recharges because it has a compact hydrogen fuel cell to generate on-board power.

The Renegade is typically Jeep, designed for off-roading and dune surfing, with a minimalist body including a hose-out cabin. Its green signature includes minimal use of materials, with an emphasis on recycled parts. Its power pack is a small-capacity Bluetec diesel engine linked to a lithium-ion battery pack. Chrysler claims the hybrid drive in the Renegade means it can run for 70km on electric power and return better than 3.0 litres for 100km with the diesel.

The three show cars are a definite pointer to the future, though Jenkins cannot comment on potential production plans.

And he does not rule out extra concept cars, without a green colouring, at Detroit.

Over at the Mitsubishi stand the Concept-RA will be making its debut in Detroit. Powered by a 2.2-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, the Concept-RA boasts both clean and dynamic driving, producing 150kW and 420Nm.

The coupe concept uses the S-AWC vehicle dynamics control system driveline from the Lancer Evolution with added Active Steering and Active Suspension control improving traction, cornering and vehicle stability.

It also features its Twin Clutch SST automated manual transmission.

Mitsubishi has also aimed to improve crashworthiness and reduce weight.