REPORT: Dodge Circuit production hints, possibly coming in 2010
by Sebastian Blanco on Jul 21st 2009 at 2:53PM 
Dodge Circuit EV concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
With all of the recent upheaval at Chrysler, it's no surprise that the fate of the very cool Dodge Circuit is not exactly certain. In May, Chrysler assured everyone that the program was not DOA, and Chrylser ENVI president Lou Rhodes recently said something similar to Car and Driver. Rhodes even gave C&D a few details about how the program is shaping up.
The plan would have the vehicle produced by Lotus in the UK and then shipped to the U.S. for the electric powertrain. Chrysler's sales target is 100,000 EVs in order to benefit from economies of scale for all the expensive EV bits. By selling that many vehicles, Rhodes told C&D that Chrysler's efforts could make the Circuit "tens of thousands" of dollars less than the somewhat similar Tesla Roadster. The Circuit is still likely to be Chrysler's first EV, and could start production next year.
Gallery: SAE 2009: Dodge Circuit quick drive
Photos copyright ©2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Car and Driver via All Cars Electric]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
locoyocal 3:03PM (7/21/2009)
i love competition.
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gerrrg 6:56AM (7/22/2009)
+1
Matt 3:09PM (7/21/2009)
Tens of thousands less... so... $80k?
No thanks.
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Chris M 4:03PM (7/21/2009)
Possibly a bit less, but I suspect it will still be over my budget.
However, there are a lot of green sportscar enthusiasts who would be willing to accept the trade-off of slightly slower acceleration and shorter driving range in exchange for saving "tens of thousands of dollars".
The big question is how well it will compete with the Tesla Model S and the Chevy Volt, which will likely be "tens of thousands" less than the Dodge Circuit.
Matt 4:57PM (7/21/2009)
I just hope someone else can figure out how to bond aluminum so that we don't have so many Lotus clones. I love that Lotus chasis, but having so many cars based on it really cheapens the look. Not only that, but I think they are charging a serious premium, keeping the cost high for electric cars. At least make an electric Exige!
Ernie 1:37PM (7/22/2009)
That's about the same amount you'd pay for a Camero or a Corvette actually. Sure, you *can* get them cheaper, but you can *also* get them more expensive. The Corvette Z06 starts at $74K.
And it's not like the market for *them* is tiny or anything.
216 3:28PM (7/21/2009)
Dodge needs more than a rebadged Lotus to get things moving again...Unless that thing sells around the same price as the Mustang/Challenger/Camaro...then we have a contender
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Richard in FLA 4:13PM (7/21/2009)
I suspect this would be a contender for the corvette. A good one at that!
Mike!!ekiM 6:17PM (7/21/2009)
I my book, there's nothing wrong with a rebadged Lotus, and Thousands less.
jake 9:26PM (7/21/2009)
If it's 10s of 1000s less then I suppose it could find a market and it might help bring Roadster prices down, but it's still way too similar to the Roadster. It would be nice if they had something more unique and practical like the 200c. They are a large automaker so I don't think they need to start with a sports car.
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Ernie 1:37PM (7/22/2009)
Actually, I think we *need* to have more kick-ass electric sports cars, to (further) dispel the myth that electric=slow in the minds of the public. Over the next few years the first electrics being mass produced are going to be economy models, which won't help that perception.
Joe Bonaparte 10:18PM (7/21/2009)
It's too bad nobody is basing thier ev on the Evora. 2+2! Room for a babyseat! or extra supermodels.
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CaramelZappa 11:18PM (7/21/2009)
I remember Elon Musk talking about how the model after the model s is supposed to be more sporty like the roadster, but be a 2+2, so it's possible they're looking at the evora for their next car. That's what I'm hoping for at least.
sac 2:08AM (7/22/2009)
I dunno. Chrysler just seems SO irrelevant to me... I would actually have much more respect for them if they bought a stake in Tesla or started licensing their technology or something.
However, I have to applaude them for at least seeing the wisdom of the Tesla approach and at least they're doing something. Toyota has really been hyping their hydrogen program and dissing Tesla and other companies pushing for EV's. That smacks of deperation. If Toyota were more confident in their approach I don't think they'd feel the need to be so negative toward EV's. Sorry for rambling.
I agree it is nice to see more competion in the pure EV sports car market however. Tesla remains the platform to beat on performance, efficiency and status IMHO.
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Dave 9:02AM (7/22/2009)
Tesla is nothing but marketing.
There are lots of companies out there doing conversions using off the rack parts. Tesla is one of them.
The only thing Tesla did different was that they decided to build a high end unit instead of attempting to build an affordable one.
Anyone who wants to build an EV (including regenerative braking) can buy this kit:
http://www.electroauto.com/catalog/ackits.shtml#ldirect
Tesla simply used a larger motor, controller, etc. And built a ridiculously expensive battery out of off the shelf laptop batteries.
RIchard in FLA 10:52AM (7/22/2009)
I agree, the 200 would be the better choice to get into the EV game. They could beat the Model S to market and get share of that instead. It's a much more practical car and it's good looking as well. Make the finish good, and you could charge $40K for it. Range is not the biggest concern, as most would only drive under 40 miles per day. It's just that those days that you drive more than 40 miles, who has the time to sit around and recharge? That's why at least 100 mile range is required to take range anxiety away. 120 even better!
Dave, I don't think your over simplistic analogy of "off the shelf components" is correct. Tesla has very unique motors and controllers. Their batteries may be laptop batteries, but the management system is nothing off the shelf. I would take their battery ensemble over your simplistic "slap together" approach any day!
3PeaceSweet 11:09AM (7/22/2009)
Nick FIAT's multiair engines and use them to make a PHEV.
Replace $20k's worth of batteries with $2k's worth of engine.
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Ra Conteur 11:04PM (7/22/2009)
This looks good. And Chrysler needs to get some sex appeal back. So build this with the A123 batteries and sell it against the Tesla for $30k less. Let early adopter with less disposable cash be the market. Then with an established high profile product, build out the entry level lines and family vehicles that mainstream want.
Go for it Chrysler. There are a lot of North Americans who will support you!
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greenling 11:04PM (7/22/2009)
hmm.. a small (read mini) electric 'viper' esque sports car (using the term loosely). Still it's a step forward since overall it seems like Chrysler's been sitting on it's rear compared to ford and GM in reguards to alternatives (like ford's hybrids and GM's volt and ev-1) but chrysler is so so far behind it's not even funny. I miss when they were using Benz technology to amke half decent cars since Mercedes is using newer tech to step into the 21st century (like the rest of the people need to and get over this V8 huge vehicle that sucks gas obsession fad)
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Nick P. 12:26AM (7/23/2009)
Being late to the party, Chrysler just went with the fastest route in order to get something on the road ASAP. For that, I applaud them
However, even if they end up selling these things, I'm not sure their heart is really into it. They need to leapfrog GM and Ford with a pure EV and none of that hybrid/range extender garbage. Now that would be revolutionary.
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