New York 2009: Performance, the past and the hoped for future

The Dodge Viper sits in the shadow of the Circuit EV prototype

Out in the middle of the Dodge display here at the Javits center lies the past and future of performance cars. Sitting on the floor is the epitome of old school performance, the Viper SRT-10. With a rip-roaring 8.4-liter V10, the Viper accelerates at a rate few cars on the road today can match. In doing so however, it consumes prodigious amounts of refined petroleum.

Just a few feet away, highlighted on the turntable, was the Dodge Circuit. Based on the Lotus Europa, the battery-powered Circuit is likely to be the first of several electric drive vehicles that Chrysler plans to produce starting in 2010. While it's not quite as fast as the Viper at this point, 0-60 times in the 5-second range are nothing to be embarrassed about. Unlike its long-nosed sibling, the Circuit emits nothing nor does it consume any petroleum products directly. Now if only Chrysler can stay in business long enough..
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New York 2009: Chrysler shows off its battery packs

Lou Rhodes and the Dodge Circuit battery pack

I've heard of carrying extra batteries for a laptop but this is a bit ridiculous. Actually, that's the president of Chrysler electric vehicle ENVI division Lou Rhodes with his laptop sitting on top of the battery pack case for the Dodge Circuit. When I spoke with Rhodes and Doug Quigley a couple of weeks ago they promised that Chrysler would make several announcements regarding its electric vehicle program before Earth Day (April 22). The first of those came a few weeks ago with the revelation that A123 Systems would be the lead supplier for the first production program coming in 2010.

At the New York Auto Show, Rhodes reaffirmed that more announcements were coming within the next two weeks but declined to elaborate further. Unfortunately, the Chrysler display gave no hints because four different battery packs were on display including the Chrysler Town and Country and 200C, as well the Jeep Wrangler. The latter two have a T-shaped configuration similar to the Chevy Volt pack while the minivan pack is a flat rectangular layout that fits nicely under the floor of the people carrier.
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Quick Drive: 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid, two-mode goes German

Click above for a high res gallery of the Mercedes-Benz ML450 hybrid

An hour after Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new ML450 hybrid at the New York Auto Show, we got to take our first quick drive in the first German version of a two-mode hybrid. Mercedes-Benz has been collaborating with General Motors, Chrysler and BMW for the last four years to develop the two-mode hybrid system for applications smaller than the buses that GM originally designed it for. GM has now installed the system across the board on all its GMT900 full size trucks and SUVs and Chrysler briefly offered it on the Durango and Aspen before production of those vehicles ended at the end of 2008. In 2010, Dodge will add the system to the Ram pickup trucks.

Mercedes-Benz will be building its own version of the two-mode hybrid transmission at a plant in Germany. Those transmissions will also be supplied to BMW for the X6 hybrid when that debuts. Read on for our first on the road impressions of the ML450.
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New York 2009: Performance, the past and the hoped for future

The Dodge Viper sits in the shadow of the Circuit EV prototype

Out in the middle of the Dodge display here at the Javits center lies the past and future of performance cars. Sitting on the floor is the epitome of old school performance, the Viper SRT-10. With a rip-roaring 8.4-liter V10, the Viper accelerates at a rate few cars on the road today can match. In doing so however, it consumes prodigious amounts of refined petroleum.

Just a few feet away, highlighted on the turntable, was the Dodge Circuit. Based on the Lotus Europa, the battery-powered Circuit is likely to be the first of several electric drive vehicles that Chrysler plans to produce starting in 2010. While it's not quite as fast as the Viper at this point, 0-60 times in the 5-second range are nothing to be embarrassed about. Unlike its long-nosed sibling, the Circuit emits nothing nor does it consume any petroleum products directly. Now if only Chrysler can stay in business long enough...

New York 2009: Chrysler's new flex-fuel V6 debuts in 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

When Chrysler revealed the new Jeep Grand Cherokee this week in New York, it marked the first public appearance of the company's new V6 engine family. What had previously been referred to as the Phoenix is now officially dubbed the Pentastar V6. Over the next couple of years, variants of this engine will supplant all current 6 cylinder engines in Chrysler's lineup. Like its predecessors, the Pentastar has a 60 degree block angle but manufacturing process has been changed to high pressure diecasting. The initial 3.6-liter version has dual overhead camshafts with variable cam phasing.

The engines are designed to be lighter and more efficient than the units they replace. The first 3.6-liter is claimed to use eight percent less fuel than before, even with the port fuel injection it will have at launch. In the past, Chrysler has said these engines will also have direct injection which will probably appear on later variants. All of the Pentastar V6s will have flex fuel capability from launch.

[Source: Chrysler]

New York Preview: Mitsubishi to add "idle neutral logic" to Outlander

Next week in New York, Mitsubishi will reveal a new version of its Outlander crossover. The Outlander GT Prototype includes a new feature dubbed Idle Neutral Logic. According to Mitsubishi, this system shifts the transmission into neutral when the vehicle comes to a stop. While this system falls short of even an automatic stop start system, it is purported to save some fuel when the vehicle is sitting at rest. Going into neutral would reduce the load on the engine when idling but it's still using fuel. The reduction in fuel consumption seems like it would be minimal under most conditions, although Mitsubishi was probably able to implement it only with a software change and no hardware.
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GM and Segway working on new balancing 2-wheeler?

Click above for a high-res gallery of the GM/Segway Project P.U.M.A.

Please hold a moment while we check our calendars. Nope, it's definitely not April 1st. That must mean the stories circulating the internet tonight of a GM tie-up with Segway must be true. The Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project (P.U.M.A. for short) will reportedly seek to develop a self-balancing 2-wheeled vehicle that's capable of reaching speeds of 25 miles per hour, well above the Segway's 12 mph top speed.

Instead of the more common single track of a motorcycle, this electric vehicle will borrow the side-by-side arrangement popularized on the original Segway Personal Transporter. A lithium battery will store enough charge to allow the vehicle to travel for up to 25 miles on a single charge. Another interesting feature would be the ability for each machine to communicate with vehicles around it, avoiding accidents and regulating the flow of traffic.

Cost isn't yet set, but initial projections would place the total cost of ownership for the two-passenger autonomous vehicle at about a quarter of the price of a traditional automobile. The P.U.M.A. project will make its official debut at the New York Auto Show this week. Click past the break for the press release.
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