Chrysler Plug-in Hybrid Minivan To Lead Parade Of New Models

A Chrysler plug-in hybrid minivan will reportedly arrive in 2016, ahead of several important new models coming soon from FiatChrysler. It’s about time.

It used to be that GM, Ford, and Chrysler were known as “The Big Three” in America, but for the past 30 years, it has been more like “Two and A Half Car Companies in Detroit,” as Chrysler has drifted in and out of corporate marriages with a variety of partners. First, Mercedes came calling and forged a more or less disastrous partnership in which outdated Mercedes chassis were foisted off on the public as “new” Chrysler models.

Under Mercedes’ guidance, Chrysler slipped further and further down the Consumer Reports reliability rankings. Not even Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche, with his luxuriant, flowing mustache, could entice customers into showrooms any more. Mercedes set Chrysler adrift with only a collection of second-class models to show for its dalliance with the German juggernaut.

Then came the economic meltdown in 2007, which forced Chrysler into a shotgun wedding with Fiat. Now, Fiat has never had the best of reputations in the US. (I owned one in the 70s and the memory is still so painful that I doubt I shall ever own another.) Nor, quite frankly, are its cars highly prized in other parts of the world. CEO Sergio Marcchione may count Ferrari and Alfa Romeo as prized possessions, but the majority of Fiat products run the gamut between so-so and ho-hum. Only the Fiat 500L extended wheelbase car seems to create much excitement in America.

There are two segments of the automobile market in America that are white hot — minivans and SUVs. The venerable Chrysler minivan, now known as the Town & Country, has soldiered on for more than 40 years. It has gotten smoother and more refined all the time, to the point where it is a competent and capable family hauler that can transport 7 people in comfort. It even gets decent fuel economy for a car that is actually little more than a box on wheels.

For reasons known only to all those smart people sitting in the hushed stillness of corporate boardrooms, no carmaker yet has seen fit to offer a plug-in hybrid minivan, but that is about to change. A new Chrysler Town & Country will debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January, and will be in showrooms in the the spring of 2016.

According to Automotive News, a plug-in hybrid version of the T&C will follow about 6 months after that. And how’s this for news? It is expected the plug-in car will have a fuel economy rating of 75 MPGe! It doesn’t matter how low gas prices go; that’s a number that will gladden the hearts and wallets of American families everywhere.

Chrysler plans to dip its toe into another market segment that is literally on fire at the moment — SUVs. A front-wheel-drive SUV will appear in 2018. It will share a Fiat platform and many components with the 200. Before that gets here, an all-wheel-drive crossover with three rows of seats will debut in 2017. It will share a platform and many features with the redesigned Town & Country, but without its sliding doors and Stow ‘n Go seats. Best of all, a plug-in hybrid version is scheduled for late 2017.

The present-day Chrysler 200 and Chrysler 300 are surprisingly good cars. With any luck, the new minivan and SUVs will impress shoppers as well.

Electric Minivan Dubbed "Luxgen" To Make Its Appearance

I suppose the world needs alternate energy minivans and thus we are about to witness the production of the Luxgen, which is short for Luxury and Genius. The claims for this particular vehicle are somewhat hard to swallow but if they can approximate these numbers, then the minivan will be special indeed. We feel the biggest hurdle for the Luxgen will be its $140,000 MSRP, which will cause customers to swallow hard when considering a minivan purchase.

Aside from lithium-ion batteries, cell phones and electric cars don’t have all that much in common. Or do they? A new luxury electric minivan from Luxgen, a Taiwanese company, was unveiled at the Dubai International Auto Show (irony?). It utilizes the same technology found in HTC smart phones to combine luxury, electric power, and advanced technology all in the same package.

Luxgen’s name is the uninspired coupling of “Luxury” and “Genius”, and they claim their EV+ is the “world’s first electric 7-passenger MPV”. Alright, so it does make sense to tailor an electric car towards an upper echelon consumer base because of the traditionally high costs. Luxgen is claiming that the AC Propulsion motor delivers 265 N-m of torque (about 195 ft-lbs of torque) and can reach 0-62 mph in just 8.6 seconds… faster than a Prius. Luxgen is also claiming a 90 mph top speed, which isn’t much slower than the Tesla.

Errr, ok, I suppose it could be possible for an electric luxury minivan laden down with batteries and tech features like Night Vision, GPS, and television screens to be faster than the Prius. But not with only 195 ft-lbs of torque. With a planned cost of $140,000, Luxgen says the EV+ should get 350 km per charge… but only if the minivan is driven at 40 kilometer per hour… or just under 25 mph. Heh, ya, right. I drive that fast down my driveway.

The EV+ was displayed along with three other Luxgen vehicles, none of them electric. The Taiwanese company plans to have the EV+ out on market sometime this year, but don’t be surprised if it gets delayed, or quietly canned altogether. If it does make it past the concept phase, it will start selling in the Middle East, and may eventually find its way to America.

Source: Gas2.0