SUVs saved Chrysler (But Fiat will ultimately kill Chrysler)

Steyr is the manufacturer of the best automotive diesel engines in
the world, which are not available in any automobile in the US.

Chrysler has been selling VM engines world wide for years, except in
the US (except one offering several years ago). The VM engines are
also world class. All we get for diesel here are the overweight
Cummins in the too-big pickups.

I'd very much like to have a RWD sedan with either engine.

As for Daimler Benz, hey, it's not their fault we didn't put a luxury
goods tariff on expensive foreign cars a long time ago.

It's not their fault Chrysler refuses to make a vehicle which anyone
one outside the US wants.

It's not their fault Chrysler has taken the easy way out in product
development the last few years. Well, the last couple of decades. .

wrote:

> Steyr is the manufacturer of the best automotive diesel engines
> in the world, which are not available in any automobile in the US.

> I'd very much like to have a RWD sedan with either engine.

Diesel engines suck the big wang.

It's bad enough those loud marble-grinders are in the trucks that we all
have to put up with on our urban roads, belching black smoke every time
they change gears.

You couldn't pay me to own or drive a car with a diesel engine.

> It's not their fault Chrysler refuses to make a vehicle which
> anyone one outside the US wants.

No - that's not it.

Daimler put in a half-hearted effort to sell Chrysler vehicles in
Europe.

That, and Europe's tarrifs on imported cars is why you don't (didn't)
see Chrysler cars in Europe. Unlike GM and Ford, Chrysler did not have
any assembly plants of their own in Europe.

> It's not their fault Chrysler has taken the easy way out in
> product development the last few years. Well, the last couple
> of decades.

The Chrysler 300-N concept car shown at the Detroit Auto show in January
2000 was one classy looking car. It was a V-8 RWD convertable, based on
the LH chassis, and was going to be the next version of the 300 line.
But Daimler made damn sure that Chrysler would never build it - they
swept it under the rug and instead had Chrysler build that but-ugly
abortion on wheels - the 300C based on the over-weight LX platform,
stuffed full of trouble-prone (and expensive) previous generation
Mercedes suspension and drivetrain parts.

http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/chr..._hemi_m_06.jpg

http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/chr..._hemi_m_02.jpg

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DaimlerChrysler today unveiled the Chrysler 300 Hemi(R) C, a
four-passenger V-8 rear-wheel drive convertible, at the 2000 North
American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The quintessential Chrysler, this concept combines contemporary
design,elegance, luxury and legendary Hemi-power.

'This vehicle explores a direction we might take if we were to return to
an all-American V-8, rear-wheel drive luxury performance car such as the
famed '57 Chrysler 300 C convertible,' said Tom Gale, Executive Vice
President -Product Development and Design.

'The epitome of motoring elegance and affordable luxury, the Chrysler
300 Hemi C concept adds the heritage only this company can offer: a
powerful V-8 Hemi engine.'

The prototype all-aluminum 353 cubic inch (5.7-liter) pushrod V-8 engine
features hemispherical combustion chambers and two spark plugs per
cylinder. Its estimated power of 353 horsepower and 353 lb.-ft. of
torque is delivered to the rear wheels via a robust four-speed automatic
transmission.

The powerful V-8 Hemi engine has improved fuel efficiency and emissions
through seamless automatic deactivation of four of the eight cylinders
during highway driving and deceleration.

A hydraulically shifted lost-motion feature deactivates the valves while
the motor management system interrupts ignition and fuel supply to those
cylinders. The system maintains full engine performance for acceleration
and overtaking.

The concept's independent suspension has modified MacPherson struts in
front and an aluminum five-link coil-over-shock rear set-up.

For increased body stiffness and crisp ride and handling
characteristics, a unique structural door latch design is being
developed for the Hemi C concept.

Fourteen-inch ventilated front and rear disc brakes with four-piston
calipers, 19-inch front wheels and tires and 20-inch rear wheels and
tires amply live up to the Chrysler 300 Hemi C's estimated performance.

Reflecting its Hemi heritage, the vehicle will sprint to 60 mph in 5.9
seconds and clock a top speed of 160 mph.

In a thoroughly modern way, the Chrysler 300 Hemi C design pays homage
to the legendary '57 300 C. Terrific proportions, a monocoque profile
with pronounced wheel flares and a seemingly endless hood are some of
its design characteristics.

Said Joe Dehner, Senior Design Manager and responsible for the exterior
design: 'It is as if we stretched the body around the V-8 Hemi engine.
The concept's rear-wheel drive set-up allowed for a minimal front
overhang, while the front fender air exhaust ports and the centrally
placed chrome twin exhaust pipes signal its performance. And similar to
the world's best-selling convertible, the Chrysler Sebring, this concept
is a true four-seat
convertible.'

Elegance and affordable luxury are reflected by the concept's clean,
sleek and athletic lines. The sculpted hood focuses attention on the
high-placed Chrysler winged badge and enlarged 300M-style chrome grille.

A center peakline runs from the front to the rear and works with the
raked chrome bodyside moldings to give the Chrysler 300 Hemi C its
chiseled appearance.

Dehner's loving attention to detail is shown in the front and rear light
units that provide a visual link to the 300M, the sculpted chrome door
handles and the center high-mounted stop light (CHMSL) wrapped around
the Chrysler winged badge.

The Chrysler 300 Hemi C interior is in harmony with its refined
exterior. Mimicking the chrome bodyside molding, a wedged California
walnut molding links the instrument panel to the hard-cover tonneau with
integrated automatic roll-over bar.

An understated monochromatic taupe-based color palette and purposeful
use of chrome enhances the elegant atmosphere in the concept car.
Adjustable pedals guarantee a comfortable seating position for short and
tall drivers.

'The design and execution of this interior emphasize craftsmanship,'
said Lance Wagner, Senior Design Manager and responsible for the
Chrysler 300 Hemi C interior.

'That is apparent in the California walnut application on the steering
wheel, the chrome details, the leather-tailored seats, the one-touch
power top and tonneau cover and the location and fabrication of the
Chrysler winged badges, the ignition in the instrument panel and the
gated gear shift.'

The concept comes equipped with a driver 'Infotronic' system. This
unique feature includes a global positioning system, a trunk-mounted
'plug-and-play' laptop computer, Internet access for real-time weather
and traffic information and e-mail.

A fingerprint scanner hooked up to a tiny camera provides added
security, important in any vehicle and especially in a soft top
convertible. The vehicle will not function if the driver's fingerprint
and picture don't match the system's information.

The Infotronic system is directed by voice commands or through its
liquid crystal display in the instrument panel. Voice commands also
control the vehicle's audio, climate control, diagnostics, phone and
security systems and the driver's home security system.

'The straight-line power of the '50s and '60s has been replaced by a
balance of crisp handling and sophisticated performance,' said Gale.
'Yet the Chrysler 300 Hemi C still reflects the same philosophy and
pedigree of those early letter series cars.'

The Chrysler 300 Hemi C concept is custom painted with a Frosted Mocha
Pearlcoat finish and rolls on custom Goodyear tires.

2000 Chrysler 300 Hemi C
Year 2000
Make Chrysler
Model 300 Hemi C
Engine Location Front
Drive Type Rear Wheel
Production Years for Series 1999 - 2004
Combined MPG 0.00
Introduced At 2000 Detroit, MI

Performance
0-60 mph 5.9 seconds.
Top Speed 160 mph | 257.4 km/h Similar top speeds

Engine
Engine Configuration V
Cylinders 8
Engine Hemi
Aspiration/Induction Normal
Displacement 5.70 L | 347.8 cu in. | 5700.4 cc.
Horsepower 350.00 HP (257.6 KW)
Torque 353.00 Ft-Lbs (478.7 NM)
HP / Liter 61.4 BHP / Liter

Transmission Information
Gears 4
Transmission Automatic