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Automaker to unveil three practical vehicles at big show in Detroit
By G. Chambers Williams III
San Antonio Express-News
Published on Friday, Dec 07, 2007
Chrysler long has been known for its radical concept vehicles, created as showpieces for the big auto shows such as those in Detroit, Chicago and New York.
In the past, though, many of those concepts have been giant gas guzzlers that looked great, but wouldn't be very practical (especially with today's record-high fuel prices).
But for the 2008 North American International Auto Show coming up in January in Detroit, Chrysler has developed some outrageous but perhaps quite practical concepts that just might be good candidates to become production models.
All three vehicles have alternative-fuel systems that would allow them to help save the planet by greatly reducing or eliminating the use of fossil fuels.
The only problem I see with them is that they have futuristic styling designed to set them apart from ''normal'' vehicles, but might be too radical for mainstream car buyers.
The concepts include:
Chrysler ecoVoyager
This vehicle, as Chrysler described it in a brief auto show preview release, ''celebrates the romance of automobile travel embodied in a four-door, four-passenger distinctively American design.''
''Designed for customers seeking elegance, simplicity and serenity, the elegant one-box design takes advantage of space normally occupied by a conventional powertrain setup,'' the company said.
This vehicle is 191.2 inches long (about the same as the average midsize sedan), 75.4 inches wide and 63 inches high, and has a 116-inch wheelbase.
The styling is way out there, but I imagine that a production version of this vehicle would be a lot more down to earth.
The problem with putting a hydrogen vehicle into mass production, though, is the lack of an infrastructure for refueling. We just don't have hydrogen refueling stations at every convenience store the way we have with gasoline.
And developing a widespread network of hydrogen refueling facilities is a long way into the future, most experts agree.
One way around that would be the development of small-capacity home hydrogen refueling systems, with which each owner of a hydrogen-powered vehicle could produce enough hydrogen to fuel his own vehicle. The limitation would be that he would have to drive the vehicle no farther from home than he would have fuel remaining to return home. That would rule out long trips.
Dodge ZEO
Chrysler said this is a four-passenger sport wagon that ''embraces the bold, expressive look of the Dodge brand, exhibiting a new, youthful breed of muscle car for the 21st century.''
''Built for driving enthusiasts,'' the company said, the ZEO ''features an electric-only propulsion system with a lithium-ion battery pack capable of at least 250 miles.''
I'm not sure the technology is really there yet to allow even a lithium-ion battery-powered car to run 250 miles on a single charge, but engineers are working on the idea and say they will have the battery packs that can do this in the near future.
The ZEO concept is 172.8 inches long, 68.6 inches wide and 50.9 inches high, and has a 109.9-inch wheelbase.
Jeep Renegade
This concept, Chrysler said, is a ''sporty B-segment-sized two-seater ideally suited for the all-weather delights of off-roading and dune surfing.''
B-segment cars are subcompacts about the same size as the Toyota Yaris, Chevrolet Aveo or Honda Fit.
The Renegade concept features ''a cut-down speedster windshield, a roll bar, openings in the door lowers, and a hose-out interior,'' Chrysler said.
Best of all, though, ''It is an 'eco-friendly' vehicle with minimized use of materials,'' the automaker said, ''designed for those who want to enjoy the earth while taking care of its future.''
The way the Renegade does that is by combining ''a 40-mile lithium-ion battery pack and a small-displacement Bluetec diesel engine,'' Chrysler said.
The result is a vehicle that has fuel economy of more than 110 miles per gallon, Chrysler said.
Chrysler said the concept is 153 inches long, 62.9 inches wide and 56.3 inches high, and has a 101.6-inch wheelbase.
Full details of all three of these concept vehicles will be announced when they are unveiled during the media preview days at the Detroit show in mid-January.
All three will be on public display at Detroit's downtown Cobo Hall convention center for the show Jan. 19-27.
For more information on the show, go to the Web site at http://www.naias.com.>
Chrysler long has been known for its radical concept vehicles, created as showpieces for the big auto shows such as those in Detroit, Chicago and New York.
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