Marchionne: Hybrids Will Help Chrysler Group Meet 2025 54.5 MPG Mandate
With the 2025 industry-wide fuel economy target of 54.5 mpg a decade away, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne believes “the house will make it” as far as all under the Chrysler Group umbrella are concerned, with a little help from hybridization of a number of models.
Automotive News reports Marchionne believes hybrids will “become a very large component” of the fleet going forward, stating that without them, meeting the mandate would be “impossible” for FCA’s Pentastar offerings.
Part of that plan may come through Chrysler Group’s new nine-speed automatic transmission, which will be used throughout the division’s line of FWD vehicles, starting with the 2014 Jeep Cherokee and 2015 Chrysler 200; the latter, released to dealers earlier this month, provides up to 36 mpg on the highway with the transmission delivering power to the front wheels.
Licensed from ZF Friedrichshafen and manufactured in FCA’s Kokomo, Ind. plant, the nine-speed transmission will see additional production at the formerly idle Tipton County, Ind. transmission factory. The $162 million refurbished plant will employ 850 by 2015, and will produce 800,000 transmissions annually at full capacity.
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The EPA at will changes CAFE standards. Current save the planet PV panels are 15 percent conversion efficient with one company advertising 20 percent. After the conversion 21 percent electricity is line loss to power lines. What is good for the auto industry is also good for the PV industry. 30 percent panel conversion efficiency or no "incentives". Just impose it.
Back to the Future. It may mean 85 hp cars w/ 0-60 in 15 seconds like the late 1970's/early 1980's. Making today's cars more valuable
Funny thing. Cars have gotten more economical and automakers have engaged in an insane flurry of engineering new solutions, yet cars are just as, if not more powerful. And lighter weight. Guarantee that if this mandate didn't exist we wouldn't have an F150 with a 700 lb weight loss or a diesel powered Ram 1500 in America. Anyone remember the days when a 400 horsepower v8 in a small, light car got 16 mpg highway, 11 city? Wasn't really all that long ago (the example referenced being the 360 Modena)
Under the "massive yoke" of government regulations, cars are getting more efficient, faster, safer, and more durable. And though the MSRP's are higher, they're still affordable to own. Competition under regulation (the 'moral', as opposed to 'unbridled' "Free Market") appears to be a reasonable compromise (in this case).