Today, Chrysler submitted three proposals to the U.S. Department of Energy. The $448 million plan will help the company produce electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and get them on the streets as soon as possible. The three vehicles that were included in the proposal include a Dodge Ram 1500 plug-in hybrid, a Chrysler Town & Country plug-in hybrid, and a Chrysler Town & Country electric vehicle.

“Chrysler LLC applied for two initiatives established by the DOE–the Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative and the Transportation Electrification Initiative. Both are designed to speed up development, demonstration, evaluation and manufacturing of EVs and PHEVs. The programs represent a 50/50 cost-share opportunity with $224 million from Chrysler LLC and its partners, combined with a matching $224 million from the DOE. These funds will accelerate the market introduction and penetration of advanced powertrains.” Source: PR Newswire

Chrysler plans to demonstrate 100 Dodge Ram PHEVs and 100 Chrysler Town & Country PHEVs. The models were chosen, as they are two of Chrysler’s most popular product lines.

Even though the Chrysler Town & Country EV is only a concept, you can still find some minivans that have a smaller environmental impact than others do. Last year, the Toyota Sienna topped the list of Greenest Minivans of 2008. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has published its list of the top rated minivans for 2009 and the Toyota Sienna tops the list again.

The Toyota Sienna meets both the Tier 2 bin 5 and ULEV II Emission Standards and has a 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway rating. The overall Green Score of the vehicle is 32 and the class ranking is Superior. The average vehicle looked at by ACEEE scores a 30 with the highest ranked vehicle scoring in the 50s and the lowest in the teens. The Sienna is above average for this year.

The second place vehicle is the Honda Odyssey with a Green Score of 31. Last year, the Odyssey was in third place with the same Green Score.

The Chrysler Town & Country dropped down a spot to number three for this year with a Green Score of 31 and an above average class ranking. The other two minivans to make the list are the Dodge Caravan (Green Score: 31) and the Nissan Quest (Green Score: 32).

Chrysler is the inventor of the minivan and soccer moms everywhere rejoiced when the first minivan hit the market 25 years ago. Now eco-conscious soccer moms across the United States have cause to rejoice again – the Chrysler Town & Country EV was revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

“The Chrysler Town & Country EV uses a 200 kW (268 horsepower) motor, producing 350 N•m (258 lb.-ft.) of torque. The Chrysler EV Range-extended Electric Vehicle can drive 40 miles on all-electric power, and boasts a range of 400 miles. This makes the Chrysler EV the perfect fuel-efficient family vehicle.” (Source: Chrysler)

Chrysler also revealed the Dodge Circuit EV Concept and the Chrysler 200C EV Concept at the NAIAS.

Chrysler unveiled several electric vehicle concepts today at the Detroit-based North American International Auto Show. The Dodge Circuit EV Concept is a 0-60mph in under five seconds sport car that might be after the Tesla market. Now it is time to introduce the Chrysler 200C EV Concept. This sleekly styled sedan has a 40-mile all-electric zero-emissions range and up to a 400-mile range with the ENVI range-extended drive system.

“Based on a shortened version of Chrysler’s successful rear-wheel-drive platform, the Chrysler 200C EV is a performance sedan in a package that looks spirited and agile. It delivers a blend of style, performance and amenities that both automotive and technology enthusiasts want. “(Source: Chrysler)

The 200C EV Concept is filled with top of the line luxury features including a touch screen that manages the vehicle’s connectivity system, infotainment options, mood lighting and personal climate controls.

Chrysler finally made a big leap into the hybrid world when it released its Chrysler Aspen Hybrid and Dodge Durango Hybrid in August of this year. Two short months later, the company announced plans to cease production of the two vehicles.

In December, the CEO of Chrysler and the other Detroit-based auto manufacturers testified before Congress about the dire financial situation that the three companies are facing. A lot of the discussion about the rebound of the US automakers was focused on the use of hybrid and alternative fuel technology.

Chrysler’s CEO hyped its electric vehicle plans that were announced in September 2008 during the session in Congress. The rear-wheel drive Dodge electric vehicle sports car, the Jeep EV and the Town & Country EV were to be Chrysler’s big jump into the EV market.

Fast forward to today – Chrysler has announced that it will be halting production of vehicles at all of its plants for at least 30 days. Chrysler posted a press release on their media site as well as their blog at TheFirehouse.biz

“Due to the continued lack of consumer credit for the American car buyer and the resulting dramatic impact it has had on overall industry sales in the United States, Chrysler LLC announced that it will make significant adjustments to the production schedules of its manufacturing operations. In doing so, the Company will keep production and dealer inventory aligned with U.S. market demand. In response, the Company confirmed that all Chrysler manufacturing operations will be idled at the end of the shift Friday, Dec. 19, and impacted employees will not return to work any sooner than Monday, Jan. 19, 2009.” (Source: Chrysler Media)

There has been a lot of discussion, as well as speculation, about the merger/acquisition talks between General Motors and Chrysler owner Cerberus. General Motors sales have fallen dramatically since the beginning of the year with the company posting a 15.6% loss in September and a 45.1% decrease in October (when compared to the same months in 2007).

Obviously, General Motors is not in a position to be discussing an acquisition but to talk about buying Chrysler; that just did not make much sense to me. In September, Chrysler’s sales were down 32.8% and the company posted a 34.9% decrease in sales for October. Add these large drops in overall sales to the fact that Chrysler is closing plants and stopping the production of the Chrysler Aspen Hybrid/Dodge Durango Hybrid and from the outside, the deal just does not look ideal for General Motors.

What bugged me was that the auto manufacturers were looking for government help to make the acquisition a reality. I understand that the Detroit 3 are an important part of America’s auto history and that the impact of one going under could be felt far and wide but the auto industry isn’t the only segment of the United States economy that needs some serious attention.

The CEO of General Motors, Rick Wagner, held a conference call with journalists today and stated that the talks were off.

“We have recently explored the possibility of such an acquisition based on the analysis that it would strengthen our industry position in the long term,” Wagoner said. “We’ve concluded at this particular time that we are better off to put 100 percent of our efforts on the liquidity side. We’ve set aside such (acquisition) actions as a near term priority.” (Source: Automotive News)

A Chrysler representative acknowledged the statement but the only response to GM’s announcement was that Chrysler LLC would continue its journey towards becoming a profitable company once again.

Again, from the outside, this decision by General Motors was pretty much an obvious decision. On paper, the deal looked bad. Neither company was in a period of growth and both were discussing serious cutbacks (read Chevy Volt Safe from GM Cutbacks). While the acquisition of an underperforming company by a company that is profitable would be a risk worth taking, the act of considering the acquisition of a company when your sales tanked by over 45% is simply irresponsible.

A few weeks ago, news of merger talks between General Motors and Chrysler begun to make its way around industry publications. There have been bits and pieces of the discussions since then but today brings some updates. In an early morning story by Automotive News, the publication is reporting that “General Motors is postponing nearly all of its spending on product development in 2009 and 2010 — a cost-cutting move that could delay the introduction of key vehicles such as the Chevrolet Cruze.”

When merger talks were first mentioned, I was curious about the fate of the Chevy Volt. The vehicle is expected to be available as a model year 2011 vehicle alongside the Chevy Cruze. The Automotive News article goes on to say that the Chevy Volt as well as the new Chevy Camaro are not going to be included in these cutbacks – whew!

Fast forward to this afternoon and Reuters has released updated information on the GM/Chrysler deal; evidently, there were several key points that were holding up the GM buyout of Chrysler from Cerberus but those both parties have reached agreements on these few issues.

“General Motors Corp and Cerberus Capital Management have resolved the major issues in a proposed GM-Chrysler merger, but the final form of any deal would depend on the financing and government support available, sources familiar with the talks said on Wednesday.” (Source: Reuters)

Stay tuned to The Green Motorist for more information on the GM and Chrysler buyout/merger plan.

In September 2008, Chrysler sales were down 32.8% over September 2007. It should then come as no surprise that Chrysler is planning on reducing its workforce, closing production plants and cutting vehicles from its lineup. What is somewhat surprising is the brand new Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango Hybrids are two casualties of Chrysler’s economic decisions. The news comes just days after an official Chrysler press release revealing the official EPA fuel efficiency ratings for the two models. The vehicles, which have only been in full production status for two months, are made at the Newark, Delaware plant.

“The Newark Assembly Plant builds Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen and has been operating on one shift since July 2006. Its idling was first announced in February 2007. Newark Assembly Plant currently has approximately 1,000 employees who are represented by UAW Locals 1183 and 1212.” (Source: Chrysler Media Site)

The plant will officially close on December 31, 2008 and thus the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango Hybrids will see an end to their short lives. Chrysler is not abandoning their hybrid technology however. The company has announced plans for a Dodge Ram Hybrid to be released in 2010.

Consumer Reports is known for ranking the quality, value and reliability of products ranging from vacuums to televisions and refrigerators to automobiles. The organization has released the results from its 2008 Annual Car Reliability Survey and nine hybrid models rated above average. The results will appear both on the Consumer Reports website and in the December issue of the magazine that will be available on November 4, 2008.

The following hybrid vehicles all scored above average in the “predicted reliability” ratings: Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Lexus GS 450h Hybrid, Lexus RX 400h, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Ford Escape/Mercury Marine Hybrid and the Honda Civic Hybrid. In addition to the above average rankings for these popular hybrid models, several vehicles with above average fuel-efficiency scored well including the Honda Fit, Scion xD, Smart ForTwo and Toyota Yaris.

“Consumer Reports Annual Car Reliability Survey is used in determining which makes and models are recommended to consumers by CR. Consumer Reports recommends only models that have performed well in tests conducted at its 327-acre Auto Test Center in Connecticut, and that have average or better predicted reliability based on its annual survey. In addition, vehicles must perform well in government or insurance-industry crash and rollover tests, if tested, in order to be recommended.” (Source: PR Newswire)

I live in an area where there are five golf courses within five or six square miles. In addition, there is a large retirement community about a mile away. Naturally, I see a lot of golf carts, GEM cars, etc. In addition to Chrysler’s exciting announcement about its new advanced electric vehicle prototypes, today also brought news about the GEM Peapod Neighborhood Electric Vehicle.

GEM now stands for GreenEcoMobility and the Peapod model is completely redesigned from previous GEM cars. From the Chrysler LLC press release:

“The user-friendly mood of the vehicle, named the GEM Peapod, is enhanced with the newly designed center console that will offer iPod integration, as well as hands-free operation of the customer’s iPhone. Other innovations include ergonomic, supportive, mesh seating, which enables air circulation for comfort and uses eco-friendly recycled and recyclable materials.”

The GEM Peapod is slated for production in calendar year 2009; the car will come in eight different colors including a pretty aqua color, definitely my favorite. No pricing information is available on the 2009 GEM Peapod as of yet.