Is Chrysler's ENVI electric vehicle program dead or just working quietly?
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Ever since the latest "new" Chrysler emerged from the ashes of chapter 11 bankruptcy court last spring, it has been ominously quiet on the product front. In late June, the company scheduled and then canceled its annual "What's New" product preview for the media. In fact the only news of any note out of Auburn Hills in recent months has been the management changes made by CEO Sergio Marchionne.
So what is fate of the ENVI electric vehicle program? GM-Volt has published an op-ed over the weekend speculating about whether the whole program had been shelved or killed off. In all of the management shuffles, no mention has been made of ENVI. Last spring we talked to ENVI president Lou Rhodes and the programs seemed to be humming along despite Chrysler's financial difficulties.
Since Chrysler has not been at all reticent to remind us of any changes or departures from the management ranks, we're pretty sure that if Rhodes had been moved or let go we would have heard about it. Based on the presumption that Rhodes still has the same job, we also assume he has something going on there to manage.
We checked with Chrysler's main technology spokesman Nick Cappa and asked if our assessment was on track that a lack of news about ENVI and Rhodes indicated that work was ongoing, albeit quietly? Cappa responded that "Quietly is a good way to put it."
So there you have it, that's all the news there is for now but it sure sounds like development has not stopped, We'll find out for sure next week when Chrysler holds its 5-year business plan unveiling in Auburn Hills. Stay tuned.
Gallery: Detroit 2009: Dodge Circuit EV
[Sources: GM-Volt.com, Chrysler]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
wincros 1:56PM (10/26/2009)
I would guess that the new management is looking at Chrysler's previous goals that destroyed their economic viability and making a plan. Probably a program aimed at a big, heavy and expensive electric vehicle with a clumsy, retro design will not fit into FIAT's plans.
Cappa responded that "Quietly is a good way to put it." That sounds like it is loaded with an irony that says nothing is going on.
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andrichrose 2:59PM (10/26/2009)
Due to Fiats close links with ENI , one of the largest fossil-energy
companies here in europe , it would not surprise me if ENVI has
not been closed down altogether !
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Mark Kiernan 5:39PM (10/26/2009)
ENI are Europe's answer to ExxonMobile (with the worts and all). I am pretty pi**ed with them (being an Italian company also) as Fiat could have a great range of EVs coming out, but instead they have pretty much nothing.
MemphisNET 3:50PM (10/26/2009)
Chrysler has been quiet on everything since bankruptcy. We could be seeing a huge reveal of the new Chrysler next week.
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Atomo 4:59PM (10/27/2009)
Hmm, does the 'new' Chrysler still own GEM? If so they still have the tech there whenever they need it. I'm still betting on an electric or extended range electric (aka a Hybrid) 200C based on a Fiat/Alfa Romeo platform.
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omnimoeish 6:08PM (10/27/2009)
"ENI are Europe's answer to ExxonMobile (with the worts and all). I am pretty pi**ed with them (being an Italian company also) as Fiat could have a great range of EVs coming out, but instead they have pretty much nothing."
Sounds like a match made in heaven. Chrysler has been the epitome of doing "pretty much nothing" for decades as far as I've seen.
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Alex Salkever 12:50AM (11/09/2009)
Unfortunately, looks like they killed much of the program. I'll have a blog up about this at DailyFinance.com shortly.
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