Chrysler Group Powertrain Strategy Powered by World Engine Lessons and Alternative Fuel Options
09 Août 2006 - 7:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
* Future family of V-6 engines off single architecture will
streamline four engines to one * Chrysler Group powertrain strategy
focuses on better fuel economy and alternative fuel options *
Chrysler Group joins effort to educate consumers on ethanol-based
fuels, announces bright yellow fuel cap on FFV vehicles beginning
in 2007 TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Chrysler Group Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour gave industry
leaders an overview of the company's multi-pronged powertrain
strategy which focuses on applying technological lessons and
processes learned from its innovative World Engine plant. The
strategy also includes identifying opportunities for better fuel
economy and alternative fuel choices. He spoke today at the annual
Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan. Ridenour
told the group that the entire Chrysler Group leadership team is
"firmly committed to being competitive in all vehicle segments. We
believe we have a sound strategy in place, the right products in
the pipeline and the right people guiding our business to ensure
we're prepared for the coming challenges." Chrysler Group is
launching 10 new vehicles this year, a company record. The vehicles
are fuel-efficient, and most are targeted to today's hottest
segments: cars and small SUVs. Ridenour noted that a key part of
the product offensive is an intense focus on fuel efficiency,
offering flexible-fuel vehicles (FFV) and a future powertrain
strategy which includes a new V-6 engine program. Chrysler Group is
currently developing a business case for a new family of V-6
engines based on a single V-6 architecture. If approved, this one
engine would replace four current Chrysler Group engine families
while representing a major investment in three U.S. sites. This
engine would be produced in a variety of displacements, built
around an all-aluminum, dual-overhead cam, four-valve-per-cylinder
design. While the company is still developing its business case for
the V-6 project, its Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA)
plant in Dundee, Michigan, is setting the foundation for future
programs. "With GEMA, we were able to apply economies of scale to
component and machine tool purchases to generate big savings that
we were then able to invest back into the World Engine -- allowing
us to add features that improve performance, refinement, durability
and affordability," Ridenour noted. He added that many of the
technological lessons and processes learned at GEMA will be applied
to any future engine architecture going forward. "We're very
confident that we would be able to achieve the same flexibility in
a V-6 family as we have in our family of four-cylinder World
Engines," said Ridenour. The future V-6 engine is only one part of
the Company's powertrain strategy -- providing the highest possible
fuel economy is another. For example, four of the 10 all new
vehicles coming out in 2007 will have better than 30 mpg highway
mileage. Chrysler Group was the first to market modern cylinder
de-activation with its Multi-Displacement System (MDS), in its
HEMI(R) vehicles. MDS seamlessly alternates between smooth,
high-fuel-economy four-cylinder mode when less power is needed, and
V-8 mode when more power is in demand, and improves fuel economy by
up to 20 percent. Ridenour added that more than $60 million worth
of gasoline will have been saved through the end of the 2007 model
year thanks to MDS technology. "We have 'fuel economy teams' that
go through each of our vehicles -- piece by piece, ounce by ounce,
joule by joule and amp by amp," Ridenour explained. "Here's an
example: By optimizing our design, we were able to reduce the fuel
pump amperage by about 40 percent. Since fuel pumps run all the
time, this results in about 0.1 mpg savings on high-flow
applications like flex-fuel and HEMI-equipped vehicles. No
tenth-of-a-mile improvement is too small to consider in the battle
for fuel efficiency." The third part of the company's strategy is
to provide vehicles that will help reduce our country's dependence
on oil through increased use of renewable fuels, such as ethanol.
"We believe that flexible-fuel vehicles are part of the answer and
part of a complete lineup of options that our customers expect.
Ethanol-based fuels like E 85 are a part of a viable long-term
strategy for our nation's energy security," Ridenour explained. Ten
percent of Chrysler Group vehicles produced over the past eight
years are flex-fuel capable -- a greater percentage than any other
company. Today, there are 1.5 million ethanol-capable Chrysler,
Jeep(R) and Dodge vehicles on the road. In 2007, the company will
produce 250,000 more E 85-capable vehicles, and in 2008, it will
double that number to 500,000. However, the challenge is to educate
the owners of those vehicles. Ridenour announced that starting next
year, the Chrysler Group will share an element of General Motors'
"Live Green, Go Yellow" campaign. The Chrysler Group will install
bright yellow fuel caps on each of its FFVs which will allow
consumers, at a glance, to know if their vehicle is flex-fuel
capable. Additionally, the company will begin badging its FFV
vehicles. In addition to ethanol vehicles, Chrysler Group has been
a leader in supporting biofuels. Each Jeep Liberty is fueled with
B5 (5 percent biodiesel) at the factory and the program will
continue with the 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD -- the company's
first diesel-powered full-size SUV with a new 3.0-liter
Mercedes-Benz engine. Going forward, the Chrysler Group continues
to look for ways to leverage the diesel expertise of its sister
division, Mercedes-Benz, to bring clean-burning diesels with
superior fuel economy to consumers. Today's diesel engines are up
to 95 percent cleaner than the diesels of 15 years ago, and provide
an average of 30 percent better fuel economy. DaimlerChrysler also
has its eye on future technologies including hybrids and fuel
cells. Ridenour explained that a new two-mode hybrid system,
developed with GM and BMW, leapfrogs traditional hybrid design by
improving fuel economy by up to 25 percent. Chrysler Group will
introduce this system with the Dodge Durango in 2008. And with more
than 100 fuel cell vehicles on the road today -- more than any
other company -- DaimlerChrysler is helping to speed the
development of hydrogen-powered vehicles and promote customer
familiarity. "We are a full-line producer of vehicles, and we
intend to compete in multiple powertrain technologies," said
Ridenour. "We know that each has its merits. That's why we believe
in a combination of biofuels, diesels, hybrids, fuel cells and
advance gasoline technologies. No one technology will win the day.
Bottom line is consumers want choice. "Our customers will
ultimately decide the technologies they want and need to power
their vehicles -- now and in the future. And DaimlerChrysler will
be standing at the ready with all the options available to meet
their needs," Ridenour concluded. DATASOURCE: Chrysler Group
CONTACT: Mike Aberlich, +1-248-512-2704, , or Kevin Frazier,
+1-248-512-3469, , both of Chrysler Group Web site:
http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com/
http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/
Copyright