Mopar had big plans and announcements for the Chrysler electric car last year at this time. There was a line of cars, and a Chrysler EV unit working on these cars. Then Chrysler was bought out by the Fiat group. Suddenly, the EV group was looking for jobs.
Chrysler announced plans to shelve their electric car program since Fiat/Chrysler management reported that the market would not support EV sales in their view. For the
time being, there is one Chrysler EV left, and yet another one just announced.
For now the only Chrysler electric car is the GEM. The GEM is a solidly built and well regarded NEV. Fiat, however, has just announced development of the Fiat 500EV electric car. A prototype was rolled out at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. Details are few. Production is proposed for 2013.
The Chrysler group, which also owns the Dodge brand, had also built the Circuit. The Dodge Circuit was a good looking car with matching specifications.
Regarding the Dodge electric car: Radio advertisements have lately been pushing the new Dodge Challenger as man's answer to female control. The announcer says that he will shave daily, be nice to the wife's boring friends, and suffer all other domestic chores, trials and tribulations as long as he can "drive the car he wants". The idea seems to be that a loud new oil burner will somehow make men more manly. Here are apparently a group of guys that can't stand up to their wives, so they will take it out on the road.
The new ICE Dodge Ram pickup with the 390 HP Hemi gets a dismal 6.4 mpg towing, a fact that recently surprised Popular Mechanic's field testers.
If you are interested in a hybrid version of the RAM, it will be available soon. The US DOE has provided Chrysler Corp. with a $48 Million US grant to help produce a new RAM hybrid.
Now, in the news, it is reported that Fiat is still pursuing production of the Fiat 500 EV.
That is good news, though curious that many people would prefer the Fiat over the Circuit. It's sort of like choosing a VW Beetle over a Lotus.
Chrysler turned another corner and the company now announces full size hybrid sedans and minivans in the works. CEO Sergio Marchionne states that by 2013, Chrysler will have "one of the most fuel efficient fleets". Why not just fire up the Circuit line again?
