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Chrysler Portal Concept introduces millennials to their automotive future at CES

"Created by millennials for millennials." That's how Chrysler describes its new Portal Concept, a fully electric minivan that's set to debut later today at CES in Las Vegas. Reading between the lines, apparently that means millennials want a one-box van with lots of glass and LED lighting elements... and that FCA is talking to the same millennials as Mercedes did back in 2015. From the few early images of the vehicle released ahead of its official debut, Chrysler's electric van looks like it could have come straight off a Syd Mead drawing. The Portal Concept rides on a 118.2-inch wheelbase, which makes it a little smaller than the Pacifica. There's just enough reality in its design that we can't completely dismiss its viability as an actual vehicle, but all of its disparate design ideas make the Portal look like an overwrought vision of a future that will probably never happen. That said, we'll reserve final judgment until we see it in person at CES. The Portal Concept gets intriguing once its massive double-sliding doors open up. There's a minimalist dash with a long, slender LCD at the top and another, more conventional touchscreen right in the center. Apparently, the screens can be repositioned as needed. There are 10 docking stations inside to charge and hold smartphones or tablets. FCA worked with Panasonic to develop the Portal's user experience, and the automaker hints that the supplier could become a long-term partner. Chrysler calls the interior of its Portal Concept a "third space," the other two being home and work. All the seats mount to rails that allow them to move fore and aft, fold flat, or be removed completely. The flat floor sits above a lithium ion battery pack rated at 100 kWh. That's enough capacity to allow a driving range of more than 250 miles. A 350-kW fast charger can replenish the pack to allow a 150-mile range in less than 20 minutes. A single electric motor powers the front wheels. As befitting a vehicle unveiled at CES, Chrysler says the Portal is capable of SAE Level Three autonomous driving, which means the occupants can turn driving duties over to the vehicle under certain conditions on the highway. As self-driving technology advances, Chrysler says the Portal could be upgraded. Facial recognition and voice biometric technologies allow the Portal to recognize individual users so it can tailor the driving environment to their needs and wishes.

Hot sales have Detroit automakers shortening summer shutdowns

Back in May, there was speculation that the Detroit Three automakers would maintain or perhaps even extend their traditional summer shutdowns, mostly due to a bitingly cold winter that saw below-freezing temperatures infiltrate the southernmost reaches of the US, putting a chill on auto sales. Now, though, the numbers are in, and thanks to some promising sales figures, it looks like some domestic line workers are going to be working clear through July, in some cases.
According to Automotive News, Ford has slashed its traditional two-week hiatus for factory workers in half at four of its plants, while both Chrysler and General Motors will keep factories running nonstop (two plants in Chrysler's case and a third of GM's factories).
This is, as we said, thanks to some positive numbers. Chief among those is the Seasonal Adjusted Annual Rate, which was at an eight-year high of 17 million units. Individual figures were less promising. GM, embroiled in its recall scandal, still saw a one-percent increase while Ford dropped six percent in year-over-year sales. Chrysler was the big winner, though, with a nine-percent jump in June.

EV cost burden pushing automakers to their limits, says Stellantis' CEO Tavares

DETROIT — Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said external pressure on automakers to quickly shift to electric vehicles potentially threatens jobs and vehicle quality as producers struggle with EVs' higher costs. Governments and investors want car manufacturers to speed up the transition to electric vehicles, but the costs are "beyond the limits" of what the auto industry can sustain, Tavares said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference released Wednesday. "What has been decided is to impose on the automotive industry electrification that brings 50% additional costs against a conventional vehicle," he said. "There is no way we can transfer 50% of additional costs to the final consumer because most parts of the middle class will not be able to pay." Automakers could charge higher prices and sell fewer cars, or accept lower profit margins, Tavares said. Those paths both lead to cutbacks. Union leaders in Europe and North America have warned tens of thousands of jobs could be lost. Automakers need time for testing and ensuring that new technology will work, Tavares said. Pushing to speed that process up "is just going to be counter productive. It will lead to quality problems. It will lead to all sorts of problems," he said. Tavares said Stellantis is aiming to avoid cuts by boosting productivity at a pace far faster than industry norm. "Over the next five years we have to digest 10% productivity a year ... in an industry which is used to delivering 2 to 3% productivity" improvement, he said. "The future will tell us who is going to be able to digest this, and who will fail," Tavares said. "We are putting the industry on the limits." Electric vehicle costs are expected to fall, and analysts project that battery electric vehicles and combustion vehicles could reach cost parity during the second half of this decade. Like other automakers that earn profits from combustion vehicles, Stellantis is under pressure from both establishment automakers such as GM, Ford, VW and Hyundai, as well as start-ups such as Tesla and Rivian. The latter electric vehicle companies are far smaller in terms of vehicle sales and employment. But investors have given Tesla and Rivian higher market valuations than the owner of the highly profitable Jeep and Ram brands. That investor pressure is compounded by government policies aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union, California and other jurisdictions have set goals to end sales of combustion vehicles by 2035.