Chrysler News

Teaming up with its in-house electric-drive production/advanced technology team, ENVI, Chrysler have already fitted the Grand Voyager, the Jeep Wrangler and a Dodge performance sports car with the advanced electric–drive technology to give consumers a taste of what’s in store.The car giant will produce a combination of all-electric vehicles, and range-extended vehicles that use a small petrol engine.The all-electric vehicles use a simple three component system -an electric motor to drive the wheels, a lithium-ion battery to power the electric motor and a controller to manage energy flow.The range-extended vehicle uses the same three component system but with a small petrol motor and electric generator for additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed.Dodge EVThe rear-wheel drive Dodge EV is the only all-electric prototype. It produces 200kW and 650Nm and reaches 100kms/h in a very rapid sub five seconds, on its way to a top speed of 120.With a continuous driving range of around 300kms, Chrysler claims the Dodge EV can travel more than three times the distance of the average daily commute for most Americans before needing a recharge.Jeep EVWith range-extended electric technology, the Jeep EV produces 200kW and 400Nm. Using around 36 litres of petrol it can travel up to 650kms, including 65kms of all-electric power.Chrysler EVOutputting similar numbers to the Jeep for fuel economy, the Chrysler uses a 190kW motor that produces 350Nm of torque. It gets from 0-100kms/h in around nine seconds.Sadly, none of them look like the three concept vehicles the American brand featured at this year’s Detroit Motor Show in January, but the pentastar bosses are adamant they are serious about alternative fuels.“We have a social responsibility to our consumers to deliver environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, advanced electric vehicles, and our intention is to meet that responsibility quickly and more broadly than any other automobile manufacturer,” said Bob Nardelli, Chairman and CEO – Chrysler LLC.“The introduction of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge electric vehicles provides a glimpse of the very near future, and demonstrates that we are serious and well along in the development of bringing electric vehicles to market.“We’re not ready to announce what our first electric vehicle production model will be, but we are developing a full portfolio of electric vehicles and range-extended electric vehicles for production.This technology will be applied to front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive platforms over the next several years.”  

This means motorists may have long delays to convert their car to running on LPG which costs less than 70 a litre.

Surrounded by hybrid and fuel cell cars of every type and size the stars of the annual Big Apple motorfest remain the muscle cars.

But with its stunning and modern hot-rod design, and only 12 Prowlers believed to be in Australia, it's definitely a car worth exploring.One man who couldn't resist temptation is American car enthusiast Peter Gasiliauskas.After first seeing the glamorous Prowler at a car show in the US, Gasiliauskas was an instant fan but never thought it would really be possible.Years later, he joined some Chrysler Prowler internet sites and started to monitor their value, with a hope of one day buying his own.“One came up for sale on this US website,” he says. “It was owned by a woman (in San Diego), who had won it at a casino, kept it for a year and then decided to sell it. It only had 2000 miles (about 3200km) on it. She didn't drive it much.”After hearing, “Get it. You won't be happy if you don't” from his wife, and sending friends who live in the US to check it out, Gasiliauskas embarked on becoming a Prowler owner.“I transferred the money over and bought it sight unseen,” he says.“When it arrived I sent it up to Queensland to get it converted to right-hand-drive.”While the initial outlay for the Prowler was $US35,000 (about $50,000 at the time), it became much more expensive; more than double the price once factoring in shipping costs and converting it to right-hand-drive, which has to be done for all cars under 30-years-old.Gasiliauskas says he had to borrow money on his house to be able to afford the car, but it's a decision he doesn't regret in the slightest.“It's not the sort of car you like to own and just have sit in the garage,” Gasiliauskas says. “I like to use it every opportunity I get.”He has also accessorised the car with some aftermarket features, such as a hard-top roof instead of the standard fabric.“I think it looks better with the hard top on, it's what makes it look smart,” he says.“But you need two people to take the roof off, it's manual and hard work.”He's also added a rear spoiler and matching trailer, which solves the lack of storage space in the car, especially for weekends away.Today, the trailer alone is worth about $8000, while importing a Prowler and converting it wouldn't leave you much change from $120,000.Hitting the road usually results in a lot of curious eyes trying their hardest to read the badge to find out just what the car really is.Originally badged a Plymouth, the production Prowler was introduced in 1997, based on a previous concept car that debuted at the Detroit motor show in 1993. Despite none being made in 1998, it continued to be produced until 2002, with a name change in 2000 to the Chrysler Prowler.“In total, through all of the years, they only made about 11,000 and the colour I have, candy red, they only ever made 301,” he says.It is powered by 3.5-litre V6 engine with an automatic tiptronic transmission and drives through the rear wheels. Power steering, cruise control, air conditioning and a five-stack CD player are all standard features.“It's a really comfortable car, the kind of car you can sit in and drive for hours,” he says.“It looks small but it's really quite a roomy fit but hard to get in and out of.”Being a fairly new car and having acquired some Prowler repair books from the US, Gasiliauskas hasn't experienced any problems but dreads the day something does go wrong.“No one has the computer equipment to repair it,” he says. “If I do have a problem, I'll have to approach Chrysler and see what they can do.”This isn't the only eye-catching vehicle Gasiliauskas has owned, having been involved on the hot-rod scene for more than 25 years. More than 100 cars have come and gone through his garages. He also currently owns a 1959 Cadillac.But the Prowler is one car Gasiliauskas will be holding on to for a long time to come.“What I do like is the fact that no one knows what it is,” he says. Snapshot 2002 Chrysler Prowler Value when new: about $50,000Value now: about $120,000 with shipping and conversion costsVerdict: Stunning hot-rod with all the benefits of recent technology, while still turning heads. 

The dramatic sedan, and its wagon sibling the Touring, is a money-maker as well as a brand flagship, helping lift the marquee’s awareness in this market.Launched in 2004, the V6 and V8 sedans were soon joined by the Touring and a diesel engine option in mid-2006. The 317kW SRT8 version arrived in late 2006.This is quite a family of premium sedans and wagons with striking style matched with a little muscle.These are not, in the long run, perhaps as sharp in dynamics as Holden's Statesman or the Europeans in this price bracket.Yet the American sedans' and wagons' style and substance make most of that irrelevant.For here is a machine that feels like a car and not just a well-polished collection of steel, plastics, glass and gadgets.Here is a car that feels as if it wants to be driven from here to Cairns and back down to Sydney and around the coast to Melbourne, but skipping Adelaide, then coming back up through the back of New South Wales.The 300C is big and comfortable. It soaks up bad roads with indifference if without quite the ride control a German vehicle may bring to the job.This feel-good character arrives from a number of sources – the distinctive styling, the effortless cruising and the handsome interior.That all this can be done with, among other engine options, a willing and responsive diesel engine returning under 10 litres for 100km is a bonus.The diesel is not slow with a 0 to 100km/h time around 8.6 seconds and a suggested top speed of 230km/h. This compares with around 7 seconds for the 5.7-litre V8 and a 250km/h top speed; the SRT8, according to the factory, runs low five seconds and a top speed of 265km/h.All these – sales figures and performance data – are useful numbers.And so, for season 2008, little has changed in the 300C range.All the sedans now have an integrated rear boot lid spoiler and high-mounted brake light.Inside, there's been a minor refresh with LED lighting added to front cup holders and map pockets, a Boston Acoustics eight-speaker surround-sound system and Chrysler's MyGIG multimedia entertainment system with 20GB hard drive.An iPod interface is added to the hands-free phone system.There are silver inserts for the instruments and more airbags with seat-mounted side airbags up front and side-curtain bags for the rear. Now standard on SRT8 models, optional on others, is adaptive cruise control, which adjusts the set speed to accommodate surrounding traffic.And the 5.7-litre version now offers a fuel-saver-mode display as part of the Electronic Vehicle Information Centre, allowing the driver to see when the V8 has dropped to four-cylinder mode to save fuel. (Chrysler's multi-displacement system allows the engine to turn from V8 to V4 in one stroke of the piston when less than 90 per cent of the engine's torque is required.)Prices for the 300C still start at $53,990 and $59,990 for the 5.7-litre V8. The diesel-powered Chrysler has crept up $400 to $58,390 and the SRT8, now with adaptive cruise and satellite navigation, is up $2000 to $73,990. Touring versions are $3000 extra.And all these Chryslers remain attractive cars at attractive prices. 

In Chrysler's case the sales success of the 300C sedan has overshadowed the rest of the range. It is easy to see why when you look at what makes up the Chrysler line-up these days. The PT Cruiser five-door, Crossfire two-seater and Voyager people mover are essentially niche players and at the end of their lives. The arrival of the Sebring last May bucked things up, but the mid-size sedan added only 199 sales to Chrysler's 3059 total for last year. Now Chrysler has expanded the Sebring line-up by delivering two cabrio versions. The four-seater cabrio comes as a Touring model with a fabric soft-top or Limited with a folding metal hardtop. Both have one-touch automatic controls for the roof on the console or key fob. The cloth roof takes 27 seconds to raise or lower. The hardtop takes three seconds more to do the same thing and both disappear into the boot, giving the car an uninterrupted silhouette. Because the car is based on the sedan, it is a roomy four-seater with plenty of space for luggage. With the roof up there is 356 litres of luggage space and with the roof down the boot holds 193 litres. Standard equipment includes electronic stability control, dual front and side airbags, 17-inch alloys, automatic climate control, six-speaker CD stereo, cruise control, automatic-dimming rear view mirror, electric driver's seat, alarm, six-speaker CD stereo, tyre-pressure monitoring and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Limited adds heated and cooled cupholders, 18-inch alloys, leather upholstery, heated front seats, premium Boston Acoustics six-speaker MyGig 20GB stereo and automatic headlight washers. The Sebring cabrio is the first Chrysler model locally to use the new six-speed automatic mated to the 2.7-litre V6, both of which will make their way into the Sebring sedan. The cabrio produces 137kW at 5500 revs and 256Nm at 4000 revs. Like its sibling, the cabrio shares the same Macpherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension, which gains extra cross bracing to add some torsional strength. The two-door is 80mm longer than the sedan, but 15mm lower thanks to a more steeply raked windscreen. Extra body strengthening contributes to a stronger body, but also increases body weight by 170kW in the hardtop and 130kg in the soft-top. Prices stary at $43,990 for the Touring and $51,490 for the Limited, bringing the car's entry price in under the Peugeot 307CC, Renault Megane convertible, Holden Astra Twintop and Ford Focus cabriolet.  

Sebring or Avenger? That is the choice as Chrysler looks to cull one of its mid-sized models in a company-wide simplification program that will create more casualties. Chrysler's Crossfire, PT Cruiser convertible, Pacifica wagon and Dodge Magnum wagon were all given a death sentence last year and the company's new president, Jim Press, confirms there will be more cuts as it looks to revitalise its bottom line. Press says many model duplications will be removed to ensure three distinct paths for the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands. Dodge will concentrate on performance, Jeep on adventure lifestyle and Chrysler will be the luxury brand. The Sebring and Avenger are the same car in different clothes and Press admits one will go. “Yes. But we don't have a timeline,” he says. “Directionally, we realise that's where we have to go.” Chrysler design director Trevor Creed says the decision will be made at model changeover. “We're not talking about now. We're talking about next generation,” he says. “At the next generation we'll decide which one will be renewed and which one will be hasta la vista. “That's something that will have to be determined and marketing will come to me and say, `We've decided we're going to do this segment again and this time only Chrysler — or only Dodge.” The current Sebring and Avenger were launched only last year, so they should live for at least four years despite the death sentence, making it easier to fit a single replacement into a new strategy. “Once the strategic direction is clear and we've decided what we want to be when we grow up, it will be relatively easy,” Press says. “It's tough to make the right decisions en route. We need to change the perception of our brands, and that's a big move. It's like eating an elephant one bite at a time.” Chrysler Group Australia welcomes the plans for product rationalisation, but believes the Avenger and Sebring are not a complete overlap here. “At the end of the day, we're driven by customer preference,” managing director Gerry Jenkins says. “As for Sebring and Avenger, their style and positioning appeal to different tastes. We'll see what the future holds.”  

After failing to bring the two previous models of the Dodge Ram here despite strong interest, it seems Chrysler isn't ruling out that theone unveiled this week could be released with right-hand drive. “Everything's under consideration,” Chrysler president Jim Press says. But he won't comment on which of the Ram's powertrains may be considered suitable for Australia. The Ram will launch in the US withthree engines: a 283kW/548Nm, 5.7-litre Hemi V8, a 231kW/447Nm, 4.7-litre V8 and a 160kW/319Nm, 3.7-litre V6. Transmission choices are a six-speed manual and four- and five-speed automatics, with part-time and on-demand four-wheel-drive transfer cases in regular, crew and quad-cab bodies with three tray lengths. The Ram's chances of finally gaining an Australian visa may be improved by the new Cerberus management team's focus on export markets. “Global growth is an imperative for the new Chrysler,” chairman Bob Nardelli says. Pointing out that the company sold almost 2.7 million cars last year, with sales outside the US up 15 per cent, Nardelli is confident the car-maker is on the right path. “You do the maths: if you can grow 15 per cent a year, you can double the business every five years,” he says. Nardelli says a lot of changes have been made on Cerberus's watch. Decision-making is a lot swifter since the divorce from Daimler because the process doesn't have to detour through Germany, he says. “We've demonstrated our ability with speed and decisiveness. “We've already approved 200 changes to our existing portfolio, and those changes will move to product that's on the drawing board. “We've made some tough decisions. We don't have a lot of fat; we've got muscle now. There's a strong heartbeat in Chrysler.” Part of what has kept that organ beating over the past few years has been Chrysler's adventurous approach to vehicle design -and that's something the new management is intent on continuing. Asked whether the company can afford to keep producing risk-taking styling, Jim Press replies that it will have to, in order to survive. “I don't see it as risk-taking design so much as great design,” Press says. “We need to continue to have an understanding of what customers want. “And that's not an appliance — it's a visceral experience, a passionate one.”

The Big Three are resorting to some very un-American tactics to not only keep up, but attempt to regain their dominance.Now known as the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), the Detroit motor show brings with it all the hype expected of the biggest motor show in the world.Thousands of media from around the globe pack into the Cobo Arena to be the first to see the newest and best in automotive engineering and design.Yet from jaw-droppingly expensive supercars, strange futuristic concept cars, to the next big thing in environmentally friendly, affordable family vehicles, Detroit has it all.The trends we see in Detroit will almost certainly be followed here.So for all the latest action from the Detroit Motor Show, stay right here at carsguide.com.au. 

 It was a time when bigger was better, when automotive prestige was measured by the metre.Many Australians in the 1940s aspired to own an American car of the sort being built and sold by Holden and Ford. But by the time Chrysler released the 300C in 2005, there had been a seismic shift in the market and US cars were regarded as gas guzzlers that were poorly built and less refined than European or Japanese rivals.But the 300C had a number of things going for it that would help it find its niche; US cars still had a following here, it was built and backed by DaimlerChrysler and it was distinctively styled.Model watch The 300C was a surprise hit. With its big, bold chrome grille, tall slab sides and chopped roofline it caught the imagination of a section of the local motoring public.Spend time in a 300C and it quickly became evident it was a head-turner. People might not necessarily have known what it was, but they sure took notice of it.Chrysler was aiming to steal a slice of the big-car market from the Fairlane LTD and Statesman Caprice, and it succeeded.Under the bonnet was either a 183kW 3.5-litre, single-overhead-camshaft V6 or a 250kW 5.7-litre Hemi V8 that had cylinder deactivation to save on fuel bills.Chrysler claimed cylinder deactivation — it was called MDS — was good for 10 to 20 per cent savings.The V6 was given a four-speed auto; the V8 a five-speed auto with a slapstick manual change.On the road, the 300C was surprisingly un-American. Instead of the expected sloppiness, it steered with precision and feel, braked confidently and the handling was well balanced and reassuring.Not such a surprise was the 300C's ride, which was comfortable and absorbent with good isolation and little noise intrusion, even on its 18-inch wheels and tyres.Standard gear included climate-controlled airconditioning, cruise control, fog lamps, CD stacker, remote central locking, full electrics and full leather trim.On the lotFor a V6 pay $36,000-$40,000 for a 2005-2006 model; add $5000-$6000 for a Hemi V8. Though style is an attraction for 300C buyers, the allure of the Hemi V8 probably makes it a better resale proposition than the V6.In the shopIt's early days in the life of the 300C, but owners report few problems so far. Nothing significant has come to light; the issues reported are minor and have been addressed by Chrysler.The softish ride can result in damage to the under body and suspension if driven too fast over speed humps, so make note of any noise coming from the suspension.Replacing low-profile tyres fitted to large diameter aftermarket alloy wheels can be expensive, so check the price of the tyres before deciding on a car with big wheels.In a crunchMass is a great protector when it comes to a crash, and the 300C is well endowed in that area. It weighs more than 1800kg.Being a large car, the 300C is not as agile as a smaller one, but its chassis is well balanced and electronic stability control helps out. The anti-skid brakes are powerful and its steering lets the driver know what's going on, so it has a powerful primary safety package.Airbags all round complete a modern safety arsenal that will provide good occupant protection.At the pump A heavy car with a big V8 isn't a recipe for low fuel consumption, so be prepared for a shock.The cylinder deactivation system on the Hemi V8 is a mitigating factor in its favour, but the 5.7-litre V8 will still be thirsty.Expect 15 litres for 100km around town and 12 litres on the highway for both V6 and V8 models.Owner's viewsShane Hann was one of the first to place an order when Chrysler imported the cars in 2005. Back then these cars were relatively unknown, and the number of looks and comments were astounding. He has done a few modifications; changing the exhaust so the Hemi can really sing, fitting 22-inch rims and dropping the ride height 35mm.Paul Carton is still grinning after two years and 30,000km at the wheel of a 300C. He says it's big and comfortable, but oozes power, and he loves driving it. He gets less than 15 litres/100km commuting and about 11 on the highway run.The bottom line Striking looks turn heads, but the beauty of the 300C is more than skin deep. 79/100 All angles Look for Head-turning stylingHemi V8 performanceReasonable fuel economy for a heavy V8 carComfortable rideReassuring handlingRivalsHolden Statesman/Caprice (2004-2006) $30,000-$50,000Ford Fairlane/LTD (2005-2006) $38,000-$49,000Jaguar XJ8 (1997-2001) $20,000-$51,000