Chrysler and the Environment

Chrysler has solidified its position as one of the most eco-conscious automakers through rewarding environmentally-friendly dealerships, reports AutoblogGreen:

The company may be best known for tire-melting Hemi engines, but at least some of its dealerships are showing some love for the environment.

Chrysler, which launched a program last year to commemorate its most eco-friendly dealers, has named its first batch of 30 winners as part of its Dealer ECO (that stands for Environmentally Conscious Operations) Program.

The U.S. automaker awarded five dealers in Michigan as well as three dealerships each in New York and California among the 30. One Arkansas dealership was rewarded for having a 2,000-square-foot solar-panel system on its roof (pictured), while another, in Michigan, was singled out for using used motor oil to heat the facility.

In all, the dealers were noted for their energy efficiency, oil containment, waste recycling and community involvement. And each of the dealers received a bamboo plaque commemorating their achievements.

While we can't claim to be amongst the honored dealerships, we hope to be in the next batch!

EV Charging

The primary hurdle to switching from gasoline-powered vehicles has been the problem of creating the infrastructure needed—people are hesitant to adopt vehicles if there's nowhere to refuel/recharge them, but if there isn't the demand for those places, they won't be built. But recently, a handful of automakers have signed on to a standard system for charging electric vehicles (EVs). With a standard system, the first step to building the infrastructure necessary to switch to EVs has been made. Auto123.com has been on top of this development, and we recommend their coverage of it. The meat of it is as follows:

As announced last year, eight automobile manufacturers (Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, GM, Porsche, and Volkswagen) agreed to support a harmonized single-port fast-charging system. The result of their hard work will be on display during the Electric Vehicle Symposium 26 in Los Angeles from May 6 to 9.

The Combined Charging System (CCS) applies to electric vehicles in Europe and the United States. It apparently enables a full charge in – wait for it – only 15 to 20 minutes!

Fast charging works with home and public stations, and with 120- or 240-volt outlets. As a matter of fact, the International Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has chosen the CCS as the fast-charging methodology for a standard that incrementally extends the existing Type 1-based AC-charging.

The technology will be integrated to all new European vehicles starting in 2017.

According to the manufacturers, a harmonized fast-charging standard will accelerate the development of EV infrastructures and reduce costs for owners.

Combined charging stations are scheduled to hit the market later this year. The first vehicles using this technology will be launched in 2013.

"The minivan is here and the minivan won’t ever go away.”

To some extent, Chrysler created the minivan and the minivan saved the company.

Minivans get a lot of grief and end up as the butt of a lot of jokes, but for Chrysler they're no laughing matter. They've been the top in the field essentially since their introduction and rise to the top of the priority lines of Chrysler, reports Businessweek:

Almost 30 years after the minivan was introduced, after attacks from all sides, Chrysler Group LLC remains on top. Now, CEO Sergio Marchionne will have to decide how best to sustain the success.

So far, the moves made by Marchionne, who is preparing to merge Chrysler with majority owner Fiat SpA (F), have paid off. The choice he faces now: whether to merge Chrysler’s two remaining minivans into one and whether to dramatically redesign one or both. Either way, Marchionne and his dealers are committed to Chrysler’s signature product.

“I don’t care if the minivan market shrinks as long as I’m King Kong in it,” Chuck Eddy, a Chrysler dealer in Austintown, Ohio, said in a phone interview. “That is Chrysler’s attitude, too. The minivan is here and the minivan won’t ever go away.”

Just four years after a 1979 government bailout, Chrysler Chief Executive Officer Lee Iacocca introduced the Dodge Caravan, and minivans soon joined Ram pickups and Jeep sport- utility vehicles as the company’s most important product lines.

“When people think Chrysler, is minivan a product that comes to mind? The answer is ‘absolutely,’ ” Alexander Edwards, president of the automotive practice at San Diego-based Strategic Vision, a marketing and branding company, said in a phone interview. “Most everybody that is in the minivan segment recognizes Chrysler as the creator.”

 And even after pioneering the minivan as a market, they stayed dominant:

Chrysler has kept the title despite an onslaught of entries from Ford, Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), Honda Motor Co. and the predecessor of General Motors Co. (GM) (GM) Ford and GM eventually quit the segment, and Chrysler has claimed at least 40 percent of the U.S. minivan market every year since 2007.

Marchionne is closing in on deciding whether Chrysler still needs two entries for the U.S. minivan market. He led a complete overhaul of Chrysler’s lineup in the 19 months after its U.S.- backed bankruptcy in 2009, introducing 16 new or refreshed models. The Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300 sedan have drawn praise from critics, including Consumer Reports.

The revamp has led to 11 months of U.S. sales gains exceeding 20 percent and made Chrysler the biggest gainer of market share through April. Deliveries climbed 33 percent in the first four months, boosting market share by 2 percentage points to 11.6 percent. 

 Nowadays, they're looking to use lower prices for more features to attract buyers:

Buyers paid an average price of $32,735 for the Town & Country in March, less than the $33,032 paid for Toyota’s Sienna and $32,949 for Honda’s Odyssey, according to Edmunds.com data. Grand Caravans sold for $27,151 on average.

Chrysler offers more-generous incentives on minivans than its competitors. The average incentive per Town & Country sold was $3,106 in March and $2,236 for Grand Caravan, compared to Sienna’s $1,650 and Odyssey’s $974, according to researcher Edmunds.com.

Those four models have accounted for 90 percent of minivan sales so far this year in the U.S., where, over the past decade, many buyers have switched to car-based SUVs, such as the Chevrolet Traverse and redesigned Ford Explorer.