Chrysler Group has announced new measures to improve the fuel economy of its cars and trucks.
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According to the Associated Press, the company said its new family of V6 engines – for which it has recently announced several new production facilities – would have the ability to drop to three cylinders when less power is needed, raising the fuel economy by 6 to 8%.
The company also plans to place its new two-mode hybrid powertrain in more vehicles in its fleet, put a clean diesel engine in the 2009 Jeep Cherokee sport utility vehicle, and alter its 5.7-litre Hemi and 4.7-litre V8 engines for better economy, AP added.
Frank Klegon, executive vice president for product development, reportedly said the company was making the investments in anticipation of stronger government fuel economy requirements – these passed their first hurdle in the US senate on Thursday night.
“We’re moving forward with real urgency to improve fuel efficiency across our entire lineup,” AP quoted Klegon as saying.
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By GlobalDataThe US Senate passed proposals for cars and light trucks to meet an average 35mpb by 2020 but Klegon earlier told AP a single standard for cars and trucks would hurt Chrysler because 70% of its lineup is built on truck underpinnings.
AP noted that, in the 2006 Environmental Protection Agency corporate average fuel economy rankings, DaimlerChrysler’s fleet, including Chrysler, was the worst at 19.1 mpg while Honda led all manufacturers with 24.2 mpg.
Chrysler was also reported to have said it would offer a ‘mild hybrid’ powertrain within the next few years – these weigh and cost less than full petrol-electric hybrid motors, but allow the engines to shut down at stops, saving fuel, Chrysler said.
According to the Associated Press, the company will explore the possibility of a four-cylinder diesel engine for North America and also plans to add a new fuel-efficient dual-clutch transmission to its lineup with 2010 model vehicles.
The company also told the news agency it has new, more efficient axle technology that will spread to more models, and it plans weight, drag and rolling resistance reductions, as well as aerodynamic improvements on all of its models.
Chrysler in the past month has broken ground on new plants to build its Phoenix V-6 engine family at plants in Trenton, Mich.; Kenosha, Wis.; and in Mexico, and on Thursday it said the engines would be capable of running on only three cylinders.
The two-mode hybrid, developed jointly with General Motors and BMW, uses a computer to chose from thousands of combinations of running on one electric motor, two electric motors, a combination of electric motors and the petrol engine, or shutting down some of the petrol engine’s cylinders, AP said.
The result, Chrysler told the news agency, is a 25% increase in overall fuel efficiency, with nearly a 40% increase in the city.
Currently the engines are scheduled to go into the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango SUVs starting next year, the report added.
