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Chrysler's All-New V-6
Production of Chrysler Group’s all-new Pentastar V-6 engine began on March 19th at the Trenton (MI) South Engine plant. Chrysler invested $730 million dollars in this 822,000 square foot facility which can build up to 400,000 engines a year.
The flex-fuel Pentastar V-6 is the most advanced V-6 engine in the company's history. This new line of V-6 engines will contribute to an overall fuel-efficiency improvement of more than 25 percent across the Chrysler, Ram Truck, Jeep® and Dodge product lineup. More refined and fuel-efficient, the Pentastar engine will ultimately replace seven current Chrysler Group V-6 engines and utilize advanced technologies from the Fiat alliance such as Multiair, direct-injection and turbocharging.
The first application of this engine will be in the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee due out in the second quarter this year. The Pentastar V-6 will deliver 280 HP and 260 lbs-ft of torque in its initial application in the 2011 Grand Cherokee. It will also offer 11% better fuel economy versus the V-6 it replaces.
Think Small
Think small. It's becoming the trend among automakers in the U.S. Last issue we looked at some upcoming small car models from Ford. Here's what GM has coming in the near future.
The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze replaces the Cobalt in the Chevrolet lineup. It is slightly larger than it's predecessor and will compete directly with the all-new 2011 Ford Focus. The Cruze will be available only as a four door sedan (no coupe, yet) in 4 trim levels. Two engine offerings - a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder in the LS and a 1.4 liter turbo in the 1LT, 2LT and LTZ models will be available. A six speed manual and six speed automatic will be your transmission choices. The Cruze will elevate the perception of a small car with optional leather interior, navigation, Bluetooth, heated seats and wheels as larger as 18".
At the New York Auto Show, GM unveiled the Cruze Eco. The Cruze Eco does more than just add low-rolling-resistance tires. The big difference is under the hood, with a unique turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder with variable valve timing. Chevrolet predicts the Cruze Eco will achieve highway mileage of 40 mpg. As a comparison, a Honda Insight hybrid gets 43 mpg highway.
Starting with the front of the Cruze Eco, there's a new, wind tunnel-massaged front fascia complete with a class-first "Aero Shutter". During low speed driving (stop and start city driving) the aero shutter is open. However, at higher speeds when cooling the turbocharged engine isn't as much of an issue, the shutter closes allowing air to more efficiently stream around the vehicle.
There's also a slim lower chin spoiler and "tire blockers". Moving to the rear, there's a new fascia that's also been wind tunnel tested for more slippery-ness. Surface area is further decreased by lowering the car by 10 mm compared to other Cruzes. There's a full-body underpanel to keep air from getting hung up on stuff like the exhaust and suspension components, as well as ultra low rolling resistance tires shared with the Volt. Finally, there's an ultra-tall 6th gear (the Cruze Eco is manual-only) that allows the RPMs to greatly drop when the vehicle is at cruising speed.
As you may imagine, Chevy has also done its very best to reduce mass as much as possible, going so far as to shave welds down by a millimeter. But here's the thing: while working on the body in white, engineers discovered that the mass-saving measures they made to the Eco could easily be applied to other Cruze models, which means that the not-quite-yet-on sale Cruze will have across the board improved mileage.
2011 Chevrolet Cruze production is scheduled to begin in early August.
Information about the 2012 Chevrolet Aveo is a little sketchier. The picture above made it to the web this February and looks a lot like the Aveo RS concept that was shown at the Detroit Auto Show. There's a five door hatchback version also. The new Aveo will compete directly against the Ford Fiesta, Nissan Versa, Kia Forte, etc.
The 2012 Aveo will be built on GM's new Gamma 2 global minicar platform at GM's Orion MI assembly plant (as opposed to the current Aveo that is built in South Korea). Speculation is that it will offer the same engines and transmissions as the Chevrolet Cruze. We look forward to more information becoming available over the next few months.
and then there's the Chevrolet Spark (think even smaller)...but we'll save that for a later issue of Hot Flashes.
Fleeting Tidbits
We continue to update our 2010 MY Final Fleet Order page with the latest final order dates when they are released or updated by the manufacturers. There have been a number of changes to Final Fleet Order Dates. I would suggest that you check back often since some dates seem to be a moving target.
Upcoming Final Fleet Order Dates:
Dodge Caliber - 4/26/10
Dodge Dakota pickup - 4/26/10
Ram 1500, 2500, 3500 pickup - 4/26/10
Jeep Wrangler - 4/26/10
Jeep Liberty - 4/26/10
Ford Focus - 4/23/10
Ford Transit Connect - 4/23/10
Cadillac SRX - 4/30/10
Nissan Versa - 5/1/10
Nissan Rogue - 5/1/10
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Effective with March 1, 2010 production, Mazda is pleased to announce two new features were added to the 2010 MY Mazda6.
Automatic Door Locks will be standard on all trims.
Navigation System will include real time traffic. The package code is NV3 Navigation RDS Based w/Real Time Traffic.
And the best part – No incremental price increase for the two new added features!
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Ford Motor Company is rolling out the second generation of its Sync mobile connectivity platform this fall with new features and enhanced security. Sync 2.0, as part of a larger offering of connectivity features called MyFordTouch, lets drivers access Wi-Fi hot spots to download RSS feeds and podcasts from the Internet to play on the car's stereo system. The transmission has to be in "Park" before the Internet connection works to prevent people surfing the Web while driving. Besides the connectivity of external devices, the MyFordTouch system offers such features as GPS navigation and interior climate control on an 8-inch touch screen.
Sync 2.0 can also turn the car into its own Wi-Fi hot spot, with a USB dock into which a passenger can plug a wireless broadband device from a mobile carrier such as Verizon Wireless or AT&T Mobility. The upgraded Sync offering, co-developed by Ford and Microsoft, will be available later this year in the 2011 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX SUVs. Within five years, it should be available on 80 percent of Ford models.
Taillights
As long time readers of Hot Flashes know, I have closed many an issue with a Yugo joke. Over the years I've used them all (some more than once). Imagine my surprise and delight to find a book that tells the whole Yugo story.
Jason Vuic's new book The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History isn't so much about the actual car, but rather the never ending blunders, unmerited chutzpah and collective cluelessness of the people behind the eternally-doomed sub-compact. Vuic felt compelled to write the book after a New York artist was able to purchase 39 Yugos for $92 each – in the mid-90s! Front and center sits the amazing, seemingly unstoppable Malcom Bricklin. After three back to back failures in the car biz – Subaru, Bricklin and IAI, importers of Pininfarina Spiders and Bertone X1/9 a decade past the cars' primes – Bricklin was wandering down a street in Paris when he saw his first Yugo. Instantly knew he had to bring the car to America.
Whether you're a Yugo fan or not, I would highly recommend you read this book. It's a fascinating story of the auto industry in the '80's. Plus the author begins each chapter with a Yugo joke!
4/6/2010 | |