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What we think we know about Chrysler's plug-in hybrid minivan, CUV

When the 2016 Town & Country comes to Chrysler dealerships, it will sport something no production minivan has ever had: a plug. That was on bit of news hidden in the massive Fiat Chrysler (FCA) product preview held in Detroit on Tuesday. All FCA would say about the minivan was that the Town & Country PHEV would get 75 MPGe. We know from the product preview slide (click to enlarge) that there are actually two plug-in hybrids coming from FCA. The minivan and a "full-size crossover," due in 2017. While that could describe the next-gen Dodge Journey, it could also be a brand new peoplemover. All FCA said officially was that it will be a "new vehicle or renewal of existing nameplate," which seems like an awful broad definition. We were curious to know more about these products, so we asked FCA spokesman Eric Mayne. Sadly, he was less than forthcoming, telling AutoblogGreen, "I can only refer you back to the presentations in which the PHEV is mentioned. If the answers aren't there, you'll have to wait." There are actually two plug-in hybrids coming from FCA. Well, sure, for actual facts we'll have to wait, but we can still speculate and look into the archives to see what plug-in vehicle technology FCA has offered in the past. Chrysler had an electric vehicle working group called ENVI that created products like an all-electric minivan for the US Postal Service (pictured). ENVI was disbanded in 2009. At the time, the company said plug-in vehicle work would continue, and since then we saw PHEV minivan and PHEV truck test programs from Chrysler and Ram. In early 2012, Chrysler started testing a small, 25-unit fleet of plug-in hybrid-electric Town & Country minivans with the city of Auburn Hills, MI, where the company is located. The $26-million demonstration project was funded in part by the US Department of Energy, which covered $10 million. The stated plan was for those minivans to each hit at least 16,800 miles over two years, but there were hiccups. In September 2012, for example, the liquid-cooled 12.1-kWh batteries from were found to overheat. Those batteries came from Electrovaya and were mated to a 3.6-liter Pentastar engine that could burn E85. Will any of this make it into the production Town & Country PHEV? No idea, but now we know where the company's coming from. FCA also has some EV experience with the Fiat 500e. Chrysler says electrification has been over-blown by the media.

Six arrested from chop shop linked to Dream Cruise thefts

The spirit of this year's Woodward Dream Cruise was dampened after a rash of car thefts were reported. The vehicles included a 1966 Chrysler 300 Deluxe, a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette, and a replica of the 1971 Chevrolet Camaro owned by the founder of Papa John's Pizza. While these thefts outraged the collector car community, that same tight-knit group is now breathing a sigh of relief, as those responsible are behind bars. Detroit Police arrested six people – three adults and three teens – on Thursday, September 17, in connection with a chop shop operation linked to the collector car thefts. According to The Detroit News, one suspect is still at large. There's concern among Dearborn police that the same group responsible for the Dream Cruise thefts boosted some vehicles from a Ford factory. While the Camaro was recovered mostly whole and found in a giant bush on Detroit's west side, the fate of the Corvette or Chrysler has not been made known. Here's hoping these classic cars make it back into their rightful owner's garages soon. News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Jerry S. Mendoza / AP Government/Legal Chrysler Classics

2015 Chrysler 200

For the last seven years, the Chrysler Sebring/200 has been a car that few people have managed to say anything good about. When you saw one on the road, it was probably silver and you probably assumed it was rented - especially if it was a convertible. In fact, this writer has never been in one. Ever. I've only watched them go by, trailed always by a roiling wake of invective and vituperation, a lone defender or two asserting meekly and in vain, "It's actually not that bad..."
With roughly 2.3-million units sold every year in the midsize sedan segment where the 200 lives, even tallying 125,476 sales in 2012 (when the 200 was the best-selling car in the Chrysler Group) was never going to be enough. This is the brand's volume offering and the entry point for new-car buyers before they move up to something like a full-size or a crossover. Chrysler's 2011 facelift and rebranding program was a pretty valiant attempt at putting lipstick on a Sebring, but the automaker needed to do a lot better, in every way to command more consideration, sales, respect and resale value - and everyone at The Pentastar knew it.
Enter the 2015 Chrysler 200. This is the sedan that "charts a new course for the Chrysler brand," from its hovering wing badge on the grille to the one billion dollars invested in the company's suburban Detroit Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, including more than doubling the number of quality control inspectors in the new quality assurance center.