Rapid downsizing, improved fuel economy and simplification of the company’s engine line-up – they are the key elements of Chrysler’s new powertrain strategy.

With a heavy reliance on the rapid transfer of Fiat Group technology for Multiair, Paolo E Ferrero, the senior vice president of Chrysler Powertrain outlined the company’s new five-year business plan during a briefing at Chrysler headquarters. According to Ferrero, the Chrysler Group will be a global centre of engineering competence for hybrid and electric vehicles, both for the Fiat Group and the Chrysler Group.

He outlined the company’s goals across a number of areas:

-         Diesels: Fiat diesel engines will be adapted into Chrysler applications, and starting on Euro5 compliant engines the company will introduce a new generation of common rail with the Multijet2 injector. This uses a new balanced servo valve that delivers high accuracy in fuel injection quantity control as well as up to three per cent lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and up to 20 per cent fewer nitrogen oxide emissions.

-         Petrol engines: Chrysler plans to introduce the next generation Pentastar V6 in Q2 2010. Its new V6 family will replace all existing V6 engines from 2.7-4.0litres with the first application to be the Jeep Cherokee in mid 2010. The company will also apply Fiat technology across its line-up including the implementation of tetrafuel, start & stop technologies, Multiair, CNG and bi-fuel.

-         Transmissions: It is expected that the company will phase out its existing four-speed transverse transmission for front-wheel drive and concentrate on improving the existing six-speed and moving to use the Fiat C635 dual dry clutch transmission.

-         Electrification: Chrysler still expects to introduce its two-mode hybrid Dodge RAM 1500 in 2010 with a roll-out of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle demo fleet supported by DOE funding in 2011. Battery electric vehicles will follow.