Chrysler to show electric minicar at 2010 Detroit auto show

While Chrysler Group LLC won’t hold any news conference during the upcoming North American International Auto Show, the Fiat-run Detroit automaker does wants to show that it is in the thick of the industry’s push to offer innovative new technology.
So Chrysler will display a battery-powered version of the Fiat 500 minicar at the show, but no decision has been made whether the car will be offered for sale in the U.S., according to people familiar with the plans.

The company will also show a version of the Lancia Delta mid-size hatchback with a Chrysler grille, as well as one or two models from Fiat’s luxury nameplates, Ferrari and Maserati.

Micro-Vett SpA, an Italian company, has produced a few Fiat 500s powered by a lithium polymer Kokam battery with 22 kilowatt-hours of capacity and a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour. The vehicle, which was unveiled at the London Motor Show in July 2008, can be driven 70 miles between recharging, which take between six and eight hours.
Last month, when Chrysler executives laid out their five-year plan there was no plan for a mass-market gas-electric hybrid or plug-in hybrid car before 2015. A hybrid powertrain offered in 2008 on a handful of Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs will be available in 2010 on the Dodge Ram light-duty pickup truck.

In 2011, Chrysler will launch a test fleet of 200 plug-in minivans and pickups developed through a federal grant.

Fiat’s green and gas-saving technologies revolve less around electric vehicles than its small cars and its Multiair electric valve technology, which it will fit to future Chryslers, said John Voelker editor-in-chief of GreenCarReports.com.

Chrysler will build the 500 at its plant in Toluca, Mexico, beginning late 2010. Initial plans are to produce 100,000 of the car a year -- half for sale in North America and half for sale in Brazil and Argentina. In addition, Chrysler is investing $179 million in its Dundee, Mich., engine plant to produce Fiat’s 1.4-liter engines with Multiair technology.

Multiair is a sophisticated technology that delivers up to 10% more power while cutting fuel consumption and carbon emissions by as much as 10% compared to similar engines.