The Detroit Motor Show has been a non-stop celebration of the future of motoring – and now the Chrysler Group has given us a glimpse into its plans for the year ahead.

It has introduced the new Dodge Dart for the 2013 model year – the first Dodge vehicle based on a Fiat architecture with a choice of three powertrains, designed to give the company an important entry into the compact car market.  

Not since the Dodge Caliber was introduced in 2006 has the company debuted a compact model and so now it wants to create a world-class compact car with no baggage. Drivers will be able to choose from a wide selection of engines, including: a Tigershark 16valve 2.0litre engine; a 16valve 1.4litre MultiAir intercooled turbo engine; and a Tigershark 16valve 2.4litre MultiAir II four-cylinder engine. In addition, there will be three transmission choices – a six-speed manual, six-speed dual dry clutch transmission and a new six-speed automatic.

Impressive fuel economy figures are expected to drive sales – the 1.4litre turbo and DCCT transmission achieves 40mpg on the combined cycle. At the heart of these figures are a number of improvements to the vehicle’s aerodynamics, including: an active grille shutter system that automatically closes the airflow through the lower intake and helps to reduce drag by three-five per cent; and under-body panels and features that collectively help to reduce aerodynamic drag by seven per cent.

The new Dodge Dart will go on sale during the second quarter of 2012 with prices starting at $15,995.

Just how important are green innovations for carmakers? You only have to look at Fiat’s commitment to the Chrysler Group to see how much of a role “green thinking” plays in the minds of the top car companies.

The Italian carmaker has increased its interest in Chrysler by five per cent after Chrysler achieved an “ecological event”. This meant that it has received regulatory approval for a car based on a Fiat platform or vehicle technology with a fuel efficiency rating of at least 40mpg.

The rating was achieved with a pre-production version of the Dodge Dart, which was based on Fiat’s architecture technology. Now Chrysler has issued an irrevocable commitment to the US Department of the Treasury to start assembly of the vehicle at a production facility in the USA.

This move brings Fiat’s interest in Chrysler to 58.5 per cent with the remaining equity owned by VEBA. It marks the fifth time in the past year that Fiat has increased its ownership in Chrysler after receiving a 20 per cent stake back in June 2009.

Its considered the flagship model in the Chrysler range – and now the Chrysler 300 Luxury Series will be more fuel efficient than ever before.

The new 2012 Chrysler 300 Luxury Series combines an eight-speed automatic transmission with a 3.6litre Pentastar V6 engine and delivers 31mpg – that’s a 17 per cent improvement compared to the previous generation which combined a five-speed transmission with a six-cylinder engine.  

Its figures mean that the new Chrysler vehicle offers a number of “best-in-class” statistics. For example, it has the best highway fuel economy at 31mpg; the best V6 AWD fuel economy at 18mpg city; and the best-in-class combined fuel economy at 23mpg with rear-wheel-drive and 21mpg with all-wheel drive.

There are a number of innovations that assist the new Chrysler to these class-leading figures. Among them is a compact and lightweight, all-aluminium V6 engine with dual independent cam phasers. The engine delivers 292hp and 260lb-ft of torque at 4,800rpm.

Of course the engine also has three more gear ratios which help to reduce the gap usually associated with up and down-shifting. The all-wheel drive system also features a segment exclusive active transfer case and front-axle disconnect system which boosts real world fuel economy.

Chrysler is to introduce an eight-speed automatic transmission that will help boost fuel economy for both the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Charger in 2012.

Licensed through ZF, the transmission will be mated to the 3.6litre V6 Pentastar engine and offers a four-mile-per-gallon increase in fuel economy that takes the fuel economy of the two vehicles up to 31mpg from previous levels of 27mpg. The fuel economy for both on the city cycle is 19mpg – up five per cent compared to last year’s five-speed automatic. In addition, emissions are reduced by nearly 11 per cent. 

The 845RE has been designed as a modular transmission and allows for the addition of Chrysler’s all-wheel drive system that requires no driver input and helps improve fuel economy by only engaging the front-wheel drive wheels when there is excessive wheel spin.

The transmission includes four gear sets and five shift elements. Thanks to fewer open shift elements the drag losses are reduced and as it uses lower viscosity transmission fluid, transmission efficiency is also improved. It is both compact and lightweight and requires no structural changes to either vehicle despite the addition of more gears. Indeed it weighs just 3kg more than the outgoing five-speed automatic transmission.  

During faster driving conditions, quick shifts are possible particularly during Sport mode which offers a more performance-oriented acceleration. Indeed acceleration times for the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 for 0-60mph are 7.2seconds.

Chrysler is the latest big name car manufacturer to show its support for ethanol production by entering a memorandum of understanding with ZeaChem, Inc.

The alliance is meant to accelerate the development and market adoption of cellulosic ethanol with the partners hoping to: strengthen credibility among regulators and American consumers; move away from the “food for fuel” debate; and provide a leadership role in bringing cellulosic ethanol to the consumer market. They also hope to build awareness of the potential environmental advantages of high-yield, lower carbon cellulosic ethanol. 

According to Jim Imbler, the president and CEO of ZeaChem, the company’s process offers a 40 per cent higher yield in ethanol, and through strategic alliances it could fast track large scale production.

ZeaChem actually makes the most of a combined biochemical and thermochemical process to produce ethanol with an acetogen fermenting sugars from biomass to acetic acid. The acetogens have a number of advantages including the ability to breakdown products of biomass; and the capability to operate in harsh environments while producing no CO2 as a by-product. The acid can then be converted to an ester which is hydrogenated to make ethanol.

It is not the first alliance that ZeaChem has entered into. Earlier this year it signed a long-term agreement with GreenWood Tree Farm Fund to supply hybrid poplar woody biomass for its cellulosic biorefinary. Chrysler meanwhile, has produced around two million flexible fuel vehicles since 1998.

The city ofSan FranciscoinCaliforniais to benefit from 14 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles from Chrysler.

They will be introduced as part of a three-year evaluation programme with the aim being to assess how they work in real world conditions with reports being given to Chrysler on all driving and charging experiences.

It is just part of an on-going project into plug-in hybrid technology with Chrysler also deploying a test and demonstration fleet of 25 Chrysler PHEV minivans and 140 RAM 1500 PHEV pick-up trucks to 12 partners.

These will include local municipalities, state governments, universities and energy companies throughout theUnited States.

It doesn’t seem too long ago that Chrysler was one of several auto manufacturers on the rocks in the midst of the financial crisis. However, now the automaker has announced the repayment of $7.6billion in outstanding US and Canadian government loans after completing new refinancing transactions.

The original loans have been repaid more than six years ahead of schedule and include accrued interest and additional consideration. The company paid $5.9billion to the US Treasury and $1.7billion to Export Development Canada to retire the loans that dated back to June, 2009.

According to Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Chrysler Group, the company made a commitment to repay US and Canadian taxpayers in full and it has now made good on that promise. He stated the loans gave it a second chance and paying them back marks another step in returning to being a global competitive force in the industry.

Chrysler’s new financing consists of a term loan totalling $3.0billion, debt securities of $3.2billion and a revolving credit facility of $1.3billion. It should save the company around $350million a year in interest expenses.

Chrysler will begin delivering its plug-in hybrid RAM pick-up trucks as part of a test truck fleet, later this month.

It will deliver the first 20 of 140 vehicles – 10 to Clark County, Nevada, and 10 to Yuma, Arizona. The pick-up project will be worth $97.4million with the US Department of Energy contributing $40million through Recovery Act funding.

The vehicle itself is a blended plug-in hybrid meaning it doesn’t run exclusively on all-electric power during its charge depletion period. It has an all-electric range of more than 20miles and meets AT-PZEV emission standards with a charge depleting fuel economy of more than 32mpg.

It is equipped with a 345hp, 5.7litre Hemi V8 petrol engine and a two-mode hybrid transmission.

Chrysler also developed a number of its own features for the plug-in hybrid, including: thermal management of the lithium-ion battery system; a powertrain control system to operate within the limits of the lithium-ion battery; a charging system capable of charging up to 7.5kW; an inverter system to support the power panel and vehicle-to-grid power flow; and systems for cold starts, cold drives and electric vehicle drive.

Part of the project will focus on increasing the functionality of charging. From September, Chrysler wants to add support for optimised charging with customer input; and in the same month it will also implement a smart grid interface. A year later, Chrysler will begin testing vehicle-to-grid with reverse power flow, smart grid communications and micro grid development.

As the 2011 Geneva Motor Show inches ever closer, the list of new arrivals continues to expand with plans now revealed for an all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee that promises to be more powerful and yet more fuel efficient than its predecessor.

The vehicle will come with an optional 3.0litre turbo diesel engine in Europe and other diesel markets built by VM Motori and developed with Fiat Powertrain. The engine is capable of producing 177kW at 4,000rpm, and torque of 550Nm – that’s 10 per cent more power and eight per cent more torque than the model it replaces.

Remarkably however, fuel economy is 28mpg on the combined cycle – that’s an improvement of 17 per cent compared to the prior diesel engine with CO2 emissions also reduced by 17 per cent to 218g/km.

Part of the reason for the achievement is a compressed, graphite iron, 60degree block with aluminium cylinder heads and a two-piece structural aluminium oil pan. The engine is compact and lightweight with weight at just 230kg.

To optimise combustion, the induction system includes swirl control fitted between the intake system and the combustion chamber that effectively provides an ideal air/fuel mixture at all levels of engine speed. Fuel delivery is also enhanced thanks to a 1,800bar common-rail fuel injection system with new MultiJet II technology guaranteeing a reduction in consumption and polluting emissions by approximately two per cent compared to a traditional injector.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee will be offered in Europe with Laredo and Limited trims in addition to the Overland version. The 3.0litre engine will be offered in European markets as a low output version.

A two-mode RAM Truck plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is being showcased by Chrysler at the Washington DC Auto Show.

The RAM plug-in hybrid project came about as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act DOE Vehicle Electrification Program that was launched last year; and now at the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference in Pasadena, Oliver Gross, an energy storage systems specialist in the High Voltage Energy Storage Solutions Group at Chrysler has provided an overview of its progress.

He suggests the primary goals are to model real-world life to determine how viable plug-in hybrid electric vehicles can be and the best way to deploy them. It will involve a 140 vehicle field trial to evaluate customer acceptance and battery performance across a range of cycles and temperatures and it is hoped that the program will amass about nine million miles of data including 1.4million miles in sub-freezing temperatures and 1.1million in temperatures above 32 degrees Celsius.

The vehicle itself is a blended plug-in hybrid so it doesn’t run exclusively all-electric during its charge depletion period.

According to Gross, the real challenge is that the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is expected to demonstrate durability that is comparable to non-electrified vehicles which brings attention to the AT-PZEV battery warranty requirements of 10 years, 150,000 miles. This translates to 15 years calendar life at 30 degrees Celsius and 5,000 charge depleting and 300,000 charge sustaining cycles. He says that to date no battery that meets performance and packaging requirements also meets the calendar and cycle life requirements.

The vehicles will be out in the field for around three years and collect data remotely to help determine the proper plug-in hybrid electric vehicle profiles of the future.