Auto Trends

Chrysler Building, originally uploaded by Mr Yankee

Chrysler in in the midst of spreading the news of their new 5-year plan. Let’s take a look at a few of its highlights and rumors:

Well, we have a few deaths and births of the Chrysler line to announce. As far as mid-sized pickups go, the Dodge Dakota will definitely be buried for the 2011 model year. It will be replaced by a unibody-based midsize truck that has yet to be announced.

The Dodge Caravan will stay on the boards through 2014, along with the Dodge RAM pickup truck Line. The RAM will be getting a major overhauling in 2012, featuring improvements to its fuel economy and emissions output. We’ve also will see a new commercial-grade van coming out for 2012, using a Fiat platform.

2011 will not see any Dodge Vipers in production, but there will be 500 introduced for 2012. Unfortunately, after this the model will be indefinitely laid to rest. Rumors tell us Fiat/Chrysler will have an all new (possibly Alpha inspired?) sports car ready to unleash later that summer.

Chrysler promises to be doing a total revamp on processes, focusing on overall quality, structure and strategy. They plan on designing vehicles with an all-American look, with only the inside portion being undoubtedly Fiat.

Chrysler reported today, that unlike what some experts have pointed to, Chrysler is sitting in a respectable position. They are “not burning through cash” and actually had $5.7 billion dollars on hand just two short months ago.

Chrysler has eluded to taking their focus away from older buyers, but not necessarily because they are going to focus on younger buyers, but because older buyers aren’t buying “mature” vehicles anymore. The new product line will be fresh, youthful, economical, clean burning, and will focus on fewer models. They will strive to deliver a much more powerful message.

The fuel efficient Pentastar V6 will be taking over a lot of the vehicles in the upcoming lineup. Expect power levels to be around 280 horsepower. 2010 should also see a diesel introduced for the Jeep Wrangler. Not only that, but it will feature stop/start technology, shutting the engine down at stoplights to help conserve fuel.

Look for Jeeps new slogan coming to advertisements near you:

i live. i ride. i am. Jeep

The Wrangler will most likely be the only true off-road Jeep made by Chrysler. The remaining will adopt Fiat car platforms, and focus on highway worthiness. In addition, the Chrysler badge will be making a change to retro-modern styling, spreading its “wings” once again.

Chrysler appears to have an intelligent plan on the table. Let’s see how they put it to use!

Volkswagen L1 - enlitersbilen , originally uploaded by Fordonsnyheter

Volkswagen has been working on their L1 (1-liter) concept vehicle for awhile now, and this year it has been bestowed as the most fuel efficient hybrid in the world. It sucks down a measly 1.38-liters of diesel per 100 kilometers, or in other words, about 170 miles per the gallon. How’d they do it? Let’s take a look:

Aerodynamics and Weight Reduction
The Volkswagen L1 has been completely designed from the ground up to drag across the wind at a minimum of 0.195. Compare this to most cars and trucks which ride the CD (Coefficient of Drag) spectrum between 0.30 and 0.45, that’s a pretty slick outer shell. The Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, both considered fairly aerodynamic for this day and age, only come in at 0.25 CD in comparison.

The sleek shell is predominantly made from lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic, weighing in at just 273 lbs. The 0.8-liter 2-cylinder diesel engine and hybrid powertrain come in at an abysmal 270 lbs. The electric pathways make up a paltry 44 lbs, the chassis 174 lbs, and the interior layout only 77 lbs. All these components add up to a grand total of just 840 lbs without the driver.

What’s Under the Hood
The Volkswagen 0.8-liter diesel produces around 27 horsepower and 74 lb-ft of torque, and is assisted by a 14-horsepower front-wheel, lithium ion, electric motor. The 14 electric ponies can also be translated into about 40 percent additional torque, thanks to the wonders of electric motor technology.

The powertrain is directed by a 7-speed direct shift gearbox, so although this is far from being a real road burner (99 mph top speed), at 170 miles per the gallon, you can afford it not to be. Within 10 or 20 years down the line, you could probably save up enough money to buy a Tesla Roadster (or the latest equivalent) with the difference you’ll be paying at the pump.

Corvette Stingray 2009 Concept, originally uploaded by smaedli

GM has confirmed that the Chevrolet C7 Corvette shall remain on schedule to start production in April of 2012, and be sold as a 2013 model. This news comes as a welcome relief for many Corvette fans who feared that GM’s financial condition just might mean a delay for the next generation C7 design.

The rumors floating around claimed that the delay could push its introduction well into the next year (2014), although even more drastic rumors had the Corvette going by the way of the Dodge Viper. I can’t see the Corvette disappearing anytime soon, but there could very well be some changes in store for us.

With the focus on improved fuel efficiency these days, the C7 will likely drop a few cubic inches in favor of saving a few drops of fuel. This is not confirmed mind you, but is a pretty reasonable guess. With today’s improvements in efficiency and technology, any decrease in horsepower will be minimal, if at all.

The body style of the C7 is probably going to be based on GM’s concept Stingray unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show earlier in the year (above photo). The overall curb weight of the C7 will drop substantially, offering increased performance, improved handling, and with the decrease in weight, an improved fuel efficiency to boot.

I have mentioned “improved fuel economy/efficiency” twice now, but truth be told the current 2009 Corvette ZR-1 is actually a very efficient design. Considering its engine size is 6.3-liters and its power output is well over 600 horsepower, the ZR-1 is still capable of maintaining a high of 20 mpg on the highway.

On the downside of the next generation C7, the talk of making it a mid-engine design has been dropped in favor of keeping GM financially alive and well. The design would have been much too costly and complex for designers to handle this time around. No matter though, we’re just happy to see the Corvette still on the 2013 roster, period!