Jeep® Brand to Join DaimlerChrysler
Flexible Fuel Lineup for 2007, As Company Expands Commitment to Clean, Renewable
Fuels
- Company plans to sell more
than 250,000 FFVs in MY2007
- Will expand to nearly 500,000
in 2008
- Nearly 1.5 million
DaimlerChrysler FFVs already on the road
- Ethanol, Biodiesel
Are "Homegrown Solution" to Nation's Energy, Environment,
Security Issues, Chrysler Group CEO Tom LaSorda
Tells Renewable Fuels Association
The Jeep® Commander and Jeep Grand Cherokee engineered to operate
on clean, renewable, American-made ethanol fuel will be available to
Overall for 2007, the company plans to sell more than 250,000
Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) capable of running on
E85 (85 percent ethanol) fuel, said Tom LaSorda,
President and CEO – Chrysler Group. That number will increase to
nearly 500,000 units beginning in the 2008 model year — about
one-quarter of the company's
"A significant part of the solution to our energy,
environment and national security issues can be homegrown," LaSorda said.
LaSorda discussed the benefits of renewable
fuels ethanol and biodiesel in remarks to the
Renewable Fuel Association annual conference in
For 2007, all Jeep Commander and Jeep Grand Cherokee retail and
fleet buyers who select the 4.7-liter engine option will receive vehicles
capable of running on E85 fuel. Also available in Flexible Fuel Vehicle
(FFV) capability for 2007 are:
- Chrysler Sebring sedan and
convertible with the 2.7-liter engine
- Dodge Dakota and Dodge Ram
pickups and Dodge Durango SUV with 4.7-liter engine
Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country
minivans equipped with 3.3-liter engines will also be available with FFV
capability for fleet customers.
About 1.5 million FFV-capable Chrysler Group vehicles are already
on the road, representing about 10 percent of all vehicles sold by the company
since 1998 — a greater percentage than any other company.
In addition, Chrysler Group is the industry leader in promoting
use of biodiesel, a clean, renewable fuel made from
plant oils that can be mixed with conventional diesel fuel. Each Jeep
Liberty CRD diesel SUV built at the company's Toledo, Ohio, assembly plant is
fueled with B5 (5 percent biodiesel), made from
soybeans grown and refined in Ohio.
Beginning this fall, the company will test use of B20 (20 percent biodiesel) in its industry-leading Dodge Ram heavy duty
diesel pickup trucks, working initially with commercial, government and
military fleet customers.
"Biofuels represent a huge
opportunity to reduce our consumption of conventional petroleum-based fuel and
our dependence on foreign oil," LaSorda said.
Other benefits cited by LaSorda are:
- "Reduced lifecycle carbon
dioxide (greenhouse gas) emissions, because the plants from which the
fuels are made absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during
growth."
- "Reduced tailpipe
emissions of particulates, carbon monoxide and other pollutants compared
with conventional fuels."
- "A stronger American
economy through support of
For vehicles to operate on ethanol-based fuels, engine computer
controls must be adjusted and the fuel system (fuel tank, fuel pump and fuel
lines) must be altered to resist the effects of the alcohol
(ethanol). Chrysler Group FFVs use a patented
sensor system to determine the exact content of the fuel (E85, gasoline or any
mixture of the two). The seamless transition of one fuel to another is
accomplished by an advanced calibration system that determines the
concentration of ethanol in the gasoline and adjusts for greatest operational
efficiency.
"Unfortunately, too many of these vehicles have
been — or will be — running on pure gasoline due to the
lack of a fuel infrastructure," LaSorda
said. "But we know that flex-fuels can work, when industry and
government get behind them and encourage infrastructure development."
Jeep Brand Product Offensive
Sales
of Jeep brand vehicles increased 12 percent in 2005 to their highest total
since 2000 to 476,532 units compared with 2004 sales of 427,329 units. The
positive sales momentum for the brand has continued this year. Through March, Jeep
brand sales are 10 percent more than the same period in 2005.
This year, the Jeep brand's lineup grows from four to seven models. The all-new Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4-door), Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot join the Jeep Commander, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty in dealer showrooms.