We can’t help but think what could have been with the Dodge Challenger. Had Chrysler developed the car before rising gas prices and the economic downturn, we might have seen all sorts of variants. Perhaps a top-of-the-line model with a 426ci Hemi V8 could have challenged the Shelby GT500 as the king of the road. Those in warmer climates surely would have loved a droptop version, and since we’re day dreaming, we could even imagine a Hemi Cuda version if Plymouth was still around.

Enter Norm Kraus. The legendary owner of Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago known as “Mr. Norm” has filled in the gaps by Chrysler and unveiled a 426 Hemi Challenger and Cuda Convertible this past weekend at the Chryslers at Carlisle event in Carlisle, PA. Mr. Norm’s Garage, now based in Hudson, FL, will be producing a limited run of these convertibles.

Like their coupe siblings unveiled at SEMA show last year, the droptop Challenger and Cuda share styling cues from E-Body ancestors from the early 1970s. The Cuda version is modified with a new grille inspired by the 1971 model year, a shaker hood system, Hemi billboard graphics, straightened rear quarter panels, and ‘71 Hemi Cuda taillight assemblies. The interior gets custom leather and suede seating, a pistol grip shifter, and custom mats.

Backing up the look is a 426ci Hemi V8 underneath the hood complete with a forged rotating assembly and a Kenne Bell supercharger that produces 725 horsepower. To compensate for the extra thrust, Mr. Norm has fitted each car with a Viper-spec Dana 44 differential, a fortified driveshaft, frame connectors, and a fully adjustable coilover suspension system.

We don’t have any live photos quite yet, but you can read all about them in the press release after the jump.

Source Autoblog

In order to fit in with the cool kids, Chrysler decided to unveil three electric drive technology prototypes and they aren’t only for car shows. Chrysler intends to produce at least one of them in late 2010 with a small number of EVs going out to testing fleets in 2009.

The three prototypes are a sports car, a minivan and a SUV. Read on for more details on each.

Chrysler’s Electric Vehicle Technology
Chrysler’s EV technology has been designed for two different usages:

100% electric cars, with only an electric motor, a lithium-ion battery pack and a power controller. “The electric-drive system is being developed for front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive vehicle applications.”

“Range-extended” vehicles, which are basically series plug-in hybrids like the GM Volt. These would have all the elements mentioned above, but also a small gasoline engine to act as generator when the batteries run out of power. This engine would not drive the wheels directly, it would only generate electricity.

Dodge EV

Based on the Lotus Europa S, the Dodge EV prototype is an electric rear-wheel-drive sports car. The electric-drive system consists of a 200 kW (268 hp) electric motor that can generate a huge 480 lb-ft of torque pretty much from 0 RPM, a 26 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and an integrated power controller.

0 to 60 performance is under 5 second. Quarter-mile is 13 seconds. Top speed is 120+ mph.

Driving range is 150-200 miles. It takes 8 hours to recharge the battery pack from a 110v outlet, but you can cut that to 4 hours with 220v.

Jeep EV

Unlike the all-electric Dodge EV (above), the Jeep EV is a Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV), or a plug-in series hybrid.

Showing that weight and aerodynamics matter, the Jeep EV has a 27 kWh lithium-ion battery pack – more than the Dodge EV – but its all electric range is only 40 miles. After that, a gasoline engine kicks in and extends the range to about 400 miles (with 8 gallons of gas).

The electric motor generated 200 kW (268 hp) and 295 lb-ft of torque. No details yet on the gasoline engine. “Chrysler says that it is also exploring four-wheel-drive, in-wheel electric motors to demonstrate the full reach of ENVI’s advanced electric-drive technologies.”

The Jeep EV does 0 to 60 mph in 9.0 seconds, and has a top speed of 90+ mph.

Chrysler EV

An electric minivan. Now that’s interesting! A nice change from sports cars. The Chrysler EV minivan is another Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV), like the Jeep EV.

It has a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery, can drive 40 miles in all-electric mode and about 400 miles with 8 gallons of gasoline. The electric motor generates 190 kW (255 hp) and 258 lb-ft of torque.

0 to 60 mph acceleration takes approximately 9 seconds and top speed is 100+ mph.

Final Thoughts on Chrysler Electric Cars Prototypes
It’s nice to see Chrysler finally come out with some electric cars and plug-in hybrids. They had some interesting fuel cell projects, but we know that hydrogen won’t make a difference for a long time. Plug-in hybrids are probably the next step, leading to a transition to vehicles with longer and longer electric ranges as batteries improve until we can abandon internal combustion engines all together.

Source: treehugger

The smallest Detroit automaker, Chrysler is working hard to change its green lineup. The Dodge Caliber, its most fuel-efficient vehicle, only gets 26 mpg combined city/highway. According to Jim Press, Chrysler’s vice chairman and president, that will change.

The company is spending $3 billion developing a new 6-cylinder motor, called the Phoenix, that will feature cylinder deactivation, a process in which fuel injection to some of the cylinders is shut off at appropriate times to save fuel. That’s due out in 2010. It’s also working on a hybrid version of its Ram pickup, the company’s top-selling vehicle, which also is due out in 2010.

And now the company appears closer to developing plug-in hybrid electric cars. Speaking at a media luncheon Tuesday, Press said he’d driven three “producible prototypes” of cars using plug-in hybrid technology. The cars, he said, have already been shown to the company’s dealer council and would be shown to other dealers next month.

The vehicles, being developed by Chrysler’s new Envi unit — which also is developing pure electric vehicles — are capable of reaching 60 mph in less than four seconds, Press said, and have a range of “at least 300 miles.” He said the technology would be particularly appropriate for off-road vehicles, citing the Jeep brand as a possible option, and said it could be adapted for use in existing models or for use in new cars and trucks.

Although Press offered no release date for such vehicles, having production ready plug-ins is a huge step forward for Chrysler. At the Detroit auto show in January, the company unveiled three concept cars — the Chrysler ecoVoyager, the Dodge ZEO and the Jeep Renegade — that had all-electric, extended range electric or plug-in electric drivetrains.

But those cars were non-operational models, and no timeline for development was even hinted at. In July, Chrysler said it was developing electric vehicles with a 40-mile range that would go on sale in three to five years.

The news today that Chrysler has working plug-in hybrids signifies a significant step forward in the company’s adoption of such technologies and increases the competition in the race to produce the first commercially available plug-in hybrid.

General Motors is developing an extended-range electric car, the Volt, due out in late 2010 or early 2011; Toyota has promised to put a plug-in version of its Prius into fleets by the end of 2009; and start-up Fisker Automotive says it will sell an $80,000 plug-in next year.

Chrysler appears less enthusiastic about other technologies, including hydrogen fuel cells, which Press suggested might be something for his children’s lifetime rather than his own. For the time being, he said, the focus is on combinations of internal combustion motors and battery power.

“We’re making substantial progress on electrification of our vehicles,” Press said.

– Ken Bensinger

originally from LA Times

New management at Chrysler has found many models that have overlapped. Over the next few years, the automaker will be discontinuing SUVs to compensate.

It’s no secret that Chrysler has some overlapping models in its lineup. Case(s)-in-point: it’s hard to make a rational argument that Jeep should be offering both the Compass and Patriot (not to mention Dodge selling the Patriot’s platform sibling, the Caliber) or the Grand Cherokee and the Commander. The Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango barely pretend to be different vehicles and there’s no reason to sell both the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro when they’re basically the same machine. This revelation is as obvious to Chrysler’s new management as it is to us, and Chrysler President Jim Press, says as much. “We’re going to stop overlapping, we’re going to bring everything under one roof. By doing that we will have more products in the markets we are not covering.”

Also marked as redundant by Press are the Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Caravan minivans, but as easy as it may be to pinpoint overlapping models, fixing that problem may prove more difficult. Dealers will need to begin offering the whole Chrysler line of vehicles if this strategy of “bringing everything under one roof” is to succeed. Expect to see drastic changes taking place in the next four to five years.

[Source: Bloomberg]

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