Fiat-Chrysler
-
Pretty much every carmaker offers at least one hybrid model these days, even if they're notably unenthusiastic about it. (Have you ever seen an Audi Q5 Hybrid? Ahem.) But one carmaker is missing from a list that now numbers more than a dozen. And that maker is Chrysler-Fiat. Back in January 2011, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said at that year's Detroit Auto Show that the company would launch a Chrysler 300 Hybrid sedan during 2013. It would have used the company's new 3.6-liter V-6 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission. Didn't happen. That same month, Marchionne also said there'd be...
-
More Chrysler Electric Cars Coming, Lots Of Catching Up NeededNow that Chrysler-Fiat reluctantly has the surprising good 2013 Fiat 500e--its first electric car--on the market, what's next for the smallest of the Detroit Three? There will be more plug-in vehicles, according to an interview in the Detroit Free Press with Mike Duhaime, the company's global...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler: Yes, We'll Build A Few Electric And Hybrid Cars (We Have To)
Give Chrysler credit for consistency. A company executive said yesterday that it would indeed build electric and hybrid vehicles, though "sparingly" and for the "right kinds of targeted applications." The comment came from Bob Lee, Chrysler's vice president and head of engineering for engine and...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler Admits: Electric Fiat 500 Is Compliance Car We Don't Want To Make
Three weeks ago, we listed five upcoming electric cars that we felt were strictly "compliance cars"--or vehicles carmakers offer not because they want to, but because they must do so to comply with California zero-emission vehicle rules. Now Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has admitted that his...
John Voelcker -
2013 Dodge Dart Video & Photos Leak Before Detroit Auto Show
Before its unveiling, coming at 8:45 am this Monday, Chrysler trickled out photos of the exterior and dashboard of its new 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan. But now both a video and more photos have leaked out onto those crazy Interwebz, showing every angle of the first product developed by the...
John Voelcker -
2013 Dodge Dart: 40-MPG CAFE Target Hints At EPA Ratings
The 2013 Dodge Dart, which will be fully revealed to the public at next week's Detroit Auto Show, achieved an unadjusted gas-mileage rating of at least 40 mpg, according to Chrysler. But hold on; before you rush over to the dealership and put money down, consider that 'unadjusted' means that it's...
John Voelcker -
It's a magic number, 40 mpg, a nice big round figure to tout in big print every time gasoline prices go up. Most makers have at least one car that achieves 40 mpg, but for the new 2013 Dodge Dart, it's not an option--there has to be one model of the Dart that's rated by the EPA at 40 mpg or better on the highway cycle. Why? Because that's the hurdle set by the auto task force during the Chrysler bailout for Fiat to take control of the last 5 percent of Chrysler that it doesn't own. The EPA could issue its ratings for the Dart as early as the end of this month. Fiat was given 20 percent of...
-
Electric Fiat 500 Spied Testing In Michigan, Intro For 2013 Likely
Almost two years ago, in January 2010, a mysterious electric version of the Fiat 500 appeared the Detroit Auto Show on the Chrysler stand. Then, two months later, Chrysler said it would sell an electric 500 in the U.S. market. Engineers at the company's Auburn Hills, Michigan, headquarters would...
John Voelcker -
2013 Dodge Compact Sedan: More Info On Chrysler's Most Crucial Car
The most important car that will be unveiled at next January's Detroit Auto Show may be the new 2013 compact sedan from Dodge, the first all-new vehicle designed by the combined Chrysler-Fiat companies. This morning, spy shots have leaked out and GreenCarReports has a small nugget of information on...
John Voelcker -
2012 Fiat 500 Cabrios, Manuals More Popular Than Projected
Launching the 2012 Fiat 500 minicar in the U.S. market was a gamble to begin with. But it's one that is paying off in some unexpected ways. Fiat's top North American executive, Laura Soave, told trade journal Ward's Auto that the Cabrio model with the roll-back cloth roof is proving far more...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler To Join Honda In Selling Natural-Gas Cars...In 2017
Ask anyone to name an alternate fuel, and natural gas is rarely the first one that comes to mind. Ethanol, perhaps, and increasingly electricity. But natural gas? Not so much. Yet in other parts of the world, as many as 2 percent of the vehicles on the road are fueled by natural gas, in countries...
John Voelcker -
Ram Pickup Trucks To Get Natural-Gas Option For V-8 Engines?
The head of Chrysler's Ram truck brand, Fred Diaz, said at the Chicago Auto Show this week that the company is exploring the addition of natural-gas powered engines to its line of V-8 engined Ram trucks (formerly Dodge Ram). “I'm eager and very interested to see what we can do with CNG in our...
John Voelcker -
With the first few Fiat 500 minicars now landing in Chrysler dealerships this month and next, the small car's fuel efficiency is clearly one of the main questions buyers will ask about. Now the EPA has released its final ratings for the car, though they're not yet on its FuelEconomy.org website. The agency says the 2012 Fiat 500 gets 30 mpg city, 38 mpg highway when it's fitted with the five-speed manual gearbox. That's a combined rating of 33 mpg. For the optional automatic, the ratings come in at 27 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, for a combined 30-mpg overall number. Those are respectable...
