Shed Jeep And Then What?
Of the three Chrysler brands, Jeep is soldiering on as one of America’s strongest automotive nameplates. Heck, Jeep is one of the strongest brands of any kind in the world come to think of it.
With Chrysler LLC getting hammered so badly this year, some automotive analysts are calling for the company to sell Jeep. Realizing that Chrysler LLC is bleeding through cash at an alarming rate and with a much lower survival threshold to weather the current economic climate then Ford or General Motors, the drum beat to ditch Jeep is certain to grow louder.
Though I’ve never been a fan of the Jeep Compass or Patriot, two models which in my opinion have sullied the image of the brand, what remains is quite good. The Wrangler is a perennial favorite for everyone who wants a smaller off road vehicle, the Liberty is a capable compact SUV, and the Grand Cherokee is a decent midsized people move. Get rid of the ugly Commander and you have a line up worth considering.
This past February I stated that Chrysler will be sold within the year and I believe that this move will still take place. Cerberus is a buy ‘em and flip ‘em operation, with very little knowledge of the automotive industry. Overly dependent on the US market, Chrysler would be best suited to team up with Renault and Nissan, becoming the third leg of what would be an incredibly powerful automotive entity.
Selling Jeep apart from the rest of Chrysler LLC would only stem the tide for awhile before the incredibly shrinking automaker would be crying out for relief again. With Jeep, the company is much more appealing. Without it, Chrysler and Dodge dealers would simply be fodder for some Chinese or Indian automaker to gain access to the US market.
Of course, if gas prices suddenly plunge by more than one dollar per gallon over the coming month or two, then Chrysler LLC will buy itself some time before a decision about the automaker must be made. Not that people will return to big cars and SUVs en masse, but it could slow the bleeding long enough for other suitors to step forward.
41 MPG Claim For F-150 Hybrid!
Ford doesn’t have a hybrid version of its popular F-Series pick up truck, but that isn’t stopping one Illinois technology company from developing an aftermarket system for it. HVET or Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies, Inc. of 
Chicago claims that they have developed a prototype plug-in hybrid system for the F-150 that will help the truck get 41 mpg. Yep, better than what your little Focus will deliver.
15 Mile Range On Pure Electric
Of course, getting the 41 mpg gets a bit tricky, but according to HVET it can be done. The truck can run a full 15 miles on electric power only and achieve the 41 mpg figure in mixed speed driving (alternating between the electric battery and the engine). Otherwise, the truck can get 21 mpg beyond hybrid driving. An in-dash display unit shows the driver how power is being used at any given time with sophisticated software included to optimize the best distribution of it at any time.
“One way to reduce fossil fuel use is to find ways to plug in some of the hundreds of millions of internal combustion engines already on the world’s roads,” said CalCars founder Felix Kramer. “The pioneering PHEV designs for trucks and buses from Dr. Ali Emadi and his team at HEVT are especially promising.”
Reduce Pollution Too
Additionally, the HVET conversion reportedly will save 4500 lbs. of carbon dioxide yearly and provide improved low speed torque which is better for towing.
“HEVT’s solutions apply to not just smaller passenger cars and hybrids, but almost any vehicle including larger gas guzzlers,” said HEVT founder Ali Emadi. “Our laboratory simulations show that the larger the vehicle, the greater the benefits – in gas costs, particulate and greenhouse emissions, and sound pollution. For this reason we are currently focused on PSVs and will later expand to school buses as well as transit buses.”
A Test Fleet First, Then Marketing
The company plans to initiate a small pilot program of Ford F-150 pickup truck conversions available to organizations and individuals on a customized basis. This pilot program will help HEVT with continued development and optimization, in a bid to push conversion costs down and lower the lifetime cost of ownership for converted vehicles.
Now before you start thinking about having HVET convert your Ford truck, you’ll want to pause first: the company is charging $60,000 per truck conversion, a figure which amounts to 2-3 times the sticker price of most trucks. Prices are expected to drop when volume increases, but not before then.
(Source: HVET.com)
Kia Getting Some Much Needed Soul
Kia jumps into the small crossover vehicle market with the Soul, a sporty and uniquely styled vehicle developed by design teams on both sides of the Pacific.
Korean automaker Kia is getting some soul. Not the boogie woogie kind, rather a measure of Soul in the form of a small crossover vehicle.
The automaker announced last week that the Kia Soul would make its worldwide debut at this October’s Paris Auto Show and hit the global marketplace beginning in February 2009. The Soul will find its way to the US market too, likely in April according to Auto News.
A unique looking vehicle, the Kia Soul is the byproduct of two design studios — one in California, the other in South Korea. A concept version of the car was unveiled at the 2006 NAIAS (Detroit Auto Show) with Kia announcing in April 2007 that the vehicle would go into production.
The bold styling of the 2010 Kia Soul.
Aggressive styling will set the Kia Soul apart from the pack, with its high profile, rear hinged rear doors, and rear liftgate as some of the more notable design features. Speaking of the liftgate, Kia has included a backpack compartment that folds out like a mailbox to take in wet bathing suits, hiking clothes, a skateboard, or whatever you configure the compartment to do. Yes, Kia is targetting the soul for the active young adult market.
On the inside, the Soul was inspired by high-quality audio equipment, with the front dash designed around the front audio speakers rather than the other way around. Soul’s premium audio system is strategically located at optimum positions to maximize audio performance and sound quality.
Fans of all things multimedia will likely embrace the Soul’s entertainment system which includes a notebook computer with a multi-purpose video game monitor housed in the glove compartment area. The notebook sits on a tray that swings outward when the vehicle is stationary and becomes accessible to either the passenger or driver seating positions. The Soul’s multimedia system includes Bluetooth and MP3 technology, multiple USB ports, Wi-Fi and telematics. Video monitors that fold up and out just like on a jet airliner, runs the length of the cabin, an optional feature for rear seat passengers’ entertainment.
The Kia Soul is powered by a 2.0L I4 engine paired with a five-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capability. The European market gets a standard 1.6L gas engine with an optional 1.6L diesel available. Retail prices for the five passenger Soul haven’t been established, but the base price should start in the upper teens.
For Kia, the Soul represents a fresh direction for an automaker known for building cheap and rather unimpressive cars. If the price keep the vehicle competitive and the quality matches Scion, then Kia could be tearing up the market with its new CUV.
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