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Chrysler Town & Country plug-in hybrid minivan coming in 2015

Among the multitude of models that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced as part of its five-year production plan in May was a plug-in hybrid version of the Town & Country minivan for sometime in 2016. However, according to the latest pronouncement from company CEO Sergio Marchionne, that timetable may have been moved forward quite a bit.
Marchionne told Automotive News at the Paris Motor Show that the PHEV minivan would now be launching in late 2015. That strategy does seem a bit confusing, though, because the next-gen platform for the T&C isn't supposed to hit the road until sometime in 2016, according to the plan. So it's not clear whether the boss means the PHEV rides on the current chassis or if the new model is going on sale early.
The technology underpinning the new plug-in hybrid has been shrouded in mystery. However, during the five-year plan meeting, FCA claimed the model could earn fuel economy figures around 75 mpge. Chrysler previously tested a 25-unit fleet of them as part of a demonstration test in Auburn Hills, MI, in 2012, but that didn't go so well.

Chrysler touts Pacifica Plug-in minivan's lower emissions

Put the words "Chrysler" and "minivan" together, and the concept of lower greenhouse-gas emissions may not immediately come to mind – especially given today's news about FCA sister brands Ram and Jeep. Among mass-market automakers, Chrysler and its sister companies (namely Dodge and Ram) have long lagged its competitors in fuel economy, with little in the way of drivetrain electrification. Now, though, Fiat Chrysler says it's taking steps to make some green-vehicle progress via its new Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid minivan. Namely, the automaker says the minivan, which can go 33 miles on electric power alone, generates 31 percent less emissions than previous-generation Pacifica, and 24 percent less than the 2017 model-year gas-powered variant. The Pacifica Plug-in, which will be the first hybrid minivan to be sold in the US, has a fuel-economy rating of 84 miles per gallon equivalent, and can go as far as 566 miles on a full tank and full electric charge. That full charge takes about two hours with a 240-volt charger, and 14 hours from a standard, 110-volt outlet. That means that over the lifecycle of the vehicle (estimated at 120,000 miles), the plug-in minivan, which will compete against models such as the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey, may cut emissions by 21 metric tons of carbon dioxide relative to the gas-powered version. That is the equivalent to the annual emissions of about 22 US households, or, as Chrysler put it, 14 commercial flights to Los Angeles from Detroit. Chrysler is pricing the minivan at about $43,000 (or about $35,000 once the $7,500 federal tax credit for plug-in vehicles kicks in) and will start selling the model by the end of March. Take a look at Autoblog's First Drive impressions here. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid: First Drive View 19 Photos News Source: Fiat Chrysler via Green Car Reports Green Chrysler Fiat AutoblogGreen Exclusive Emissions Fuel Efficiency Minivan/Van Hybrid chrysler pacifica

How the demise of Lincoln's Town Car has kick-started a limo revolution

The deaths of the Ford Crown Victoria and the Lincoln Town Car have meant overhauls of three high-profile American fleets: police, taxi and livery car. Just as police fleets are more open to considering other options and a Nissan van is the new face of the NYC taxi, livery car companies are looking at replacements for the Town Car beyond The Blue Oval. Ford, via Lincoln, has made an MKT Town Car (pictured), but an article in the Detroit News claims "it has failed to win over most of the big limousine companies." The upstarts trying to move in include livery and limo editions of the Cadillac XTS, and livery specifications of the Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300.
Each of those challengers, however, faces challenges. The Town Car was a workhorse, American, rear-wheel-drive sedan with plenty of rear legroom. Cadillac has been in the livery space before but with decontented models that were about selling the brand, not its luxury. It is taking the opposite approach with the XTS, pointing out that its livery edition is "contented in the upper half of the XTS range." Still, the CEO of Michigan's largest livery company says "it's quite a bit smaller than what we're used to," and he also prefers rear-wheel drive.
The Chrysler 300 is rear-wheel drive, and American, which matters to some companies, but Chrysler hasn't yet revealed the livery package for it. The livery Avalon marks Toyota's first time getting into that business in the US, a natural step after having done so well with taxi clients and with the Town Car out of the way. Still, the livery client is a different to taxi buyers, so the Avalon could face other soft-touch hurdles.