Chrysler Product Plan For 2012/2013: Dart Platform For Many Vehicles, Eight-Speed Transmission in Trucks, and More

Chrysler has disclosed upcoming product plans in its annual report, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week. The most significant news is that all next-generation C- and D-segment Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles will be built on the company's CUSW platform. The Dodge Dart is the first vehicle to utilize CUSW, which stands for "Compact U.S. Wide"; it's an evolution of a Fiat and Alfa Romeo platform. This includes replacements for the Chrysler 200 and Jeep Liberty, which are coming in 2012 and 2013—although the company doesn't say which vehicle arrives when. Chrysler execs had previously told us that the next Liberty would be more carlike. The architecture supports front- and all-wheel drive layouts, and we suspect it will also be used for the next generation of minivans. An exception to the platform migration is the Jeep Wrangler, which will remain an honest-to-goodness body-on-frame SUV. (The Grand Cherokee and big rear-wheel-drive cars—Challenger, Charger, and 300—are considered E-segment, so there's little reason to worry that those vehicles will abandon rear-drive-based architectures.) When we drive the Dodge Dart in the next few months, we'll have a better idea of whether the platform is up to the job of underpinning so much of Chrysler's product portfolio. Here are the other highlights from the annual report: Ram 1500 will get a significant upgrade in 2012 or early 2013, including the addition of the Pentastar V-6 and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Figure on horsepower just shy of 300. The Jeep Grand Cherokee also will be refreshed in late 2012 or early 2013. The update will include fitting the eight-speed gearbox, and it also seems like a good time to add the already-confirmed 3.0-liter diesel V-6. The Grand Cherokee's larger sibling, the Dodge Durango, is listed in the report as an eight-speed recipient also, and we think it could get the diesel engine at some point. That eight-speed transmission, designed by ZF but built under license by Chrysler, will find its way into eight-cylinder Chargers and 300s—we knew this would happen eventually; it is currently limited to six-cylinder versions of those models—as well as the Challenger. The nine-speed ZF-designed transmission is scheduled to arrive in 2013. It'll be used in "many" next-generation C- and D-segment vehicles. It's specifically intended for front-wheel-drive applications, whereas the eight-speed unit is meant for rear-drive-based vehicles. Fiat's dual-clutch automatic transmission will arrive in "select vehicles" in the U.S. in 2012. We take this to mean the Dart, which also will be available with a six-speed manual and a Hyundai-supplied six-speed automatic. The dual-clutch could find its way into other cars down the road. Finally, Europeans will get a version of the Jeep Wrangler with a diesel engine, manual transmission, and an engine start/stop system. Yeah, yeah, we want it too. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

puts the internet to work for you. via task 647533