Breaking: Chrysler unveiled new ENVI line on CNBC this morning
A look at four new Chrysler lines and how the auto industry is watching the Wall St. crisis closely, with Bob Nardelli, Chrysler chairman/CEO and CNBC’s Phil Lebeau.
Chrysler LLC is aiming to launch full “portfolio” of electric vehicles cars and trucks, and sports-utility vehicles starting in late 2010, a person familiar with the company’s plans said.
Testing the Cars as Chrysler Goes Electric - cnbc.com
The Road for Chrysler - cnbc.com
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:12 am
All new Dodge electric sports car looked really nice….. 7 passenger Minivan combination gas/electric 8 gallons with a range of approx. 400 miles….. 4 Dr. Wrangler combination gas/electric…..moving towards electric motors driving each wheel independently….. wanting to offer an entire line up of vehicles vs. one…. sounds like a plan… sounds like the coffin isnt being lowered into the ground just yet….. sounds like those of you who enjoy bad mouthing Chrysler should find another blog!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:34 am
Where’s Rich… I’m sure he has nothing good to say.
The two key vehicles are the Wrangler and the Town & Country. If they can make those vehicles a reality and spread the technology across the board, Chrysler will be a huge winner.
Congrats Chrysler… you pretty much surprised everyone today. Great job. Stick that in your Volt and smoke it.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:15 am
Hopefully this news and the sight of these cars will chill some of the skeptics out there.
http://www.motortrend.com/future/future_vehicles/112_0809_chrysler_envi_electric_vehicle_plans/index.html
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:26 am
Totally AWESOME. Chrysler is going to have a very bright future with the new envi tech. The sportcar would be in my garage the minute it came out.
This is really good new for the chrysler group.And these vehicles could be out within 2 years!
WOW, and this is just the beginning.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:37 am
The sportscars is great. Chrysler is nowhere near being down and out after this great news. Plus they said theyll have a slew of other models out by then too.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:08 am
I wonder how much your electricity bill will be after charging the car over and over.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:15 am
What blows the mind is a an all-electric vehicle that can go from 0-60 in under 5 seconds! That’s unbelievable.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:38 am
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/AUTO01/809230421/1148
The Detroit News just posted this article on Chrysler’s new electric vehicle. The third paragraph merits special attention:
“The Dodge sport car is completely electric, but the Jeep
Wrangler and the Chrysler minivan will have a recharging
system similar to the Volt, which GM has said will go on
sale in November 2010.” (You gotta also keep reading)
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:41 am
So it’s one tesla roadster and two chevy Volts. I think the Dodge EV gets it’s debut first. The other two will have to revise their numbers of 50 mpg unless they know something that GM doesn’t (they don’t). All in all I like it, I like it a lot. I hope that chrysler can make these vehicles a reality in the next few years.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:43 am
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/BUSINESS01/80923029/1014
Detroit Free Press coverage of the Tuesday announcement on electric vehicles is even more informative than that of CNBC, Motor Trend, and the Detroit News.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Squat… be realistic… the van or a sedan would be the first… there is no reason to bring a sportscar first if your goal is to sell mass market.
They aren’t using the exact same system that GM is using unless you know something no one else does. Have you personally seen plans for both vehicles? Until then, don’t make assumptions. They have showed their hand. It is what it is. If they say 50 mpg… it is 50 mpg.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Hi guys, you know as much as I knew about the ENVI products.
They didn’t disclose which one of the three would be produced first, but that they had plans to roll out a production version of one of the three calender year 2010.
We also got to see alot of preproduction product, but nothing that was in production trim.
Some very cool stuff is coming, but we were told not to say anything about the new product.
Now the not so good news, we won’t have any of the new product until calender year 2010. That means we aren’t going to see a fresh new vehicle of any kind till March of 2010.
That is 18 months of having to live with our current model line up.
The dealers were blown away by that news, also the financial crisis is much worse then feared.
If there isn’t an up turn in business Chrysler will run out of money. Nardelli only had a taped mono log at the beginning of the meeting, he is meeting with congress to get the ok on the 25 Billion dollar loan package.
Nardelli has also been speaking to congress about including automotive finance arms as part of the 700 billion bail out package.
Here is where the rubber meets the road, if you want to see Chrysler stay in business then call your congress representiative and tell them you want automobile finance arms included in the 700 billion dollar bail out package.
I’ve already written a letters and called my State Senators and Congressmen.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/09/23/chrysler-execs-talk-about-new-electric-vehicles/
Autoblog has this interesting take on the electric vehicle extravaganza in Auburn Hills on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:48 pm
http://www.chryslerllc.com/en/innovation/envi/overview/
Chrysler LLC now has its own EV Website..Pretty sharp and very informative.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 pm
That’s a nice ride, for sure, but I am afraid that it will be way too expensive for the average working Joe. What we need is an affordable Plymouth. Are you with me?
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:39 pm
RICH you do catch a lot of flaq, but at lease your eyes are wide open! Nice cars good, plan for the future.
But what about the here and now?
Are the vechiles built outside the USA?
Where do the component suppliers call home?
Alot can happen in 18 months. America has to still have a working class.
Still can get over the big cost issue, you buy a car company for $2 billion and need $25 billion to run it.
Of course the biggest scare of them all printing money that does have precious metals to back it up, sounds like inflations going to be skyrocketing next.
Nothing better than a deflated dollar to save an economy on the brink.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Rich, im sure chrysler can survive 2 or so years till the new product comes out.Plus the new loans are going to go a far way.And dont you think cerberus or some other financial instituion would loan chrysler money if they really needed it for short term.Plus the new health care deal will save the big 3 tons of money within the next year.
I really dont think you know chryslers financial situation all that well.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Anyone notice, like me, that Anonymous spends way too much time on the internet, yaking away on this weblog? Really! Finding a job or joining a civic group such as the Jaycees might be a better use of time pal.
September 24th, 2008 at 7:00 am
http://s.wsj.net/article/SB122217870530867245.html
Headline in The Wall Street Journal, Wed. Sep. 24, 2008
“Chyrsler’s Jolt: Three Electric Cars
Auto Maker Discloses It has Lost $400 Million This Year As It
Unveils Battery-Powered Vehicles”
September 24th, 2008 at 8:25 am
http://www.just-auto.com/article.aspx?id=96118
“Chrysler trumps Volt….Or does it?”
by
John Voelcker in Just-Auto
You can skp down to the third paragraph, where some interesting issues are raised, and continue to the bottom of the page.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Rich, I’m doing my part. My sister just bought a brand new Patriot, she’s picking it up today at 3.
Anonymous, GM had to do a lot of redesign on the Volt to make it aerodynamic enough to get 50 mpg after the batteries ran out. If you can see, the chrysler ev and the jeep ev aren’t anywhere near as aerodynamic as the Volt is. If the jeep ev can get 50 mpg than the Volt should get closer to 70. I think chrysler is working jointly with GM on this powertrain. They worked together on the hybrid suvs, the cylinder deactivation, and the new phoenix V6, they’re probably working together on the extended range electric motor powertrain.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Rich, love your comments and insight. Thanks. An allpar reader has written that a dealer friend told him that Chrysler revealed to the dealers yesterday that the Compass and Sebring sedan are going to be killed. Any comment?
September 24th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Wouldn’t be a great loss - I’ve advocated that myself. Drop Sebring sedan, keep Sebring as a convertible only. Still, they just made many changes for 2009, so killing it would presumably be 2010 or later.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122227565271571741-email.html
“Chrysler gets charged-up about electric cars”
Turn up you audio and listen to two Wall Street Journal reporters discuss
several aspects of the September 23 event in Auburn Hills. Touch your
mouse to “LISTEN NOW.”
What these two automotive journalists have to say about the role of the Chrysler dealer body will shed some light for you on the worldview of Mopar Dealer and Rich. This is especially important for those of you who don’t appreciate having your family’s income tied up in paying off the floor plan on a glut of vehicles from a slow-selling product line while being pressured to order more of those same vehicles by the factory rep from the Business Center.
September 24th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Lurch Thanks, I know I catch a lot of flak from the blog, but it doesn’t bother me.
What does bother me is when someone makes an off handed comment, Pop, with no evidence to back the comment.
If Chrysler was running with enough cash to carry them for the next couple of years, I wouldn’t think that they’d be asking us to call our government officials to secure the 25 Billion dollar loan package or to include auto lending as part of the 700 billion dollar bail out package
The credit crisis is for real, it could put an end to everything is we know it.
GMAC aka Cerberus cut off funding to the largest Chevy store in the nation and the doors closed for good on 11 Chevy stores today.
John, as they have in the past they only mentioned that the brands would be aligned in a more traditional manner.
Press did have an off handed negative comment about the Sebring, so I’d have to assume that the replace for the Sebring will have a new name plate, but the replacement vehicle wasn’t shown to us at the meeting.
You’d have to assume that the Compass will die at the end of its cycle, probably 2010 or 2011. You have to remember that they contract with supplies to build a vehicle for X number of years, so it depends on how long they committed to the vendors to purchase parts for the Compass.
September 24th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
http://www.reuters.com/article/privateEquity/idUSN2429673520080924?feedType=RSS&feedName=privateEquity&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=10003
“Daimler May Sell Remaining Chrysler Stake”
Be sure and read the second page of this Reuters article posted late on
Sept. 24
September 24th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080924/BUSINESS01/809240345/1002/nletter01&source=nletter-business
CHRYSLER LEAPS INTO ELECTRIC VEHICLE RACE
Detroit Free Press, Sept. 24, 2008
Great article. Worth reading. Lots of information.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Oh yes, Charlie, I noticed. Great observation.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Has anyone noticed that the PT Crusier and Pacifica are not moving well also, but the the US made Compass and Sebring are on the chopping block.
Built in Mexico lower labor cost keeps them on the table mainly.
Has any one here seen a good job for a college grad lately.
Major concern on the new extended range ENVI’s vacation trip after 400 miles needs to be plugged in. The gas motor does charge the batteries, but not enough to continue driving with out an eight hour charge break. Still need a vacation car in the household or a rental.
Hope They Sell
September 25th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Squat, no GM and Chrysler are not working together on the cylinder deactivation, only the dual clutch transmission in Hybrids. No on the Pheonix engine also.
Here’s a better way to understand similarities, buy the vechile when its available to the public, take it apart and make the technologies your own.
Tesla may have gotten in bed with Chrysler the ENVI roadster does look a bit like their pilot vechile from SUPER CARS EXPOSED.
50 mpg the gas motor gas nothing to do with MPG! Momentum and battery life that’s it.
September 25th, 2008 at 5:42 am
Lurch, when I post I do my best to keep everything respectful, so I’ll just say please check facts before posting.
1) You said you didn’t understand why the Pacifica and the PT Cruiser are not on the chopping block, but the Compass and the Sebring are. The Pacifica was canceled this spring, and the PT Cruiser convertible was canceled as well. By everyone’s reports the PT sedan will live out its live in its current form and then disappear as well.
2)You said that Chrysler was working with GM on only the dual clutch transmission, but that is not correct either. The Two-Mode Hybrid system that is in the Durango and the Aspen is the same system that is currently in the Tahoe, Escalade, etc. the hybrid was a collabrative effort between GM, Chrysler, and BMW.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Only thing I cant understand and does not make sense to me is having a plug in car, when blackouts are occuring,and they tell people to unplug any radio,t.v,electrical appliances when not in use.The power grid is already stressed enough and if for some reason in the next few years plug ins become popular how thew hell would you charge the car that solely relies on electricity,especially in a black out!!!not the gas/electric cars that charge while driving but pure electric cars ? And why a sports car,kind of pisses me off that they want to sell off the Viper and build this electric turd,at least have an electric Viper option for F***$ sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Yes that Dodge I called a turd,but throw in a Hemi or Viper motor and its a real car,not a golf cart,Yes its fast but electric cars sound like crap..Being a automotive enthusiast I love the sound of V-8’s and V-10’s not a golf cart sounding machine as I said…